A Song to Bloom
by Woofemus
Summary: Hanayo and Maki are from two rival ninja families living in the village of Otonokizaka. While Maki takes their family rivalry very seriously, Hanayo would much rather figure out how to befriend her instead. AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** this is actually another work that's fully posted up on my AO3 (also Woofemus) and tumblr (at floopers). This AU is based off of ideas that someone else thought up that I unfortunately can't link it here, but you should be able to fully enjoy the story without needing to know all the exact details. With that said, there's only three parts to this and I'll update this again in a week or when I remember so if you'd like to read it all at once, you can check out either my AO3 or tumblr (where there will also be a link to the AU ideas.)

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Hanayo knew she was different.

She was born to the Koizumi, one of the ninja clans residing in the village of Otonokizaka. And not even just _a_ clan, but the _Koizumi._ The tales about the feats that the ninjas of Koizumi performed back in the day were almost legends passed down in the village. Hanayo had always heard stories from her mother telling her about all the amazing things their ancestors had done, all kept and recorded in the scrolls passed down through the family. Hanayo had always been fascinated, wanted to be a part of that legacy, _knew_ she was going to be. It was clear from the start that her path was already set in stone.

Unfortunately, Hanayo had inherited _none_ of those legendary skills.

Everyone in her family seemed to be so much better than _her_ , the heir born to the main family. She was slow and clumsy, wasn't very accurate when she threw her projectiles, got so scared around real weapons that were sharp and pointy that she closed her eyes in fear, and she always seemed to hesitate at all the wrong times. It was all completely unbecoming for one meant to be a ninja, much less a future leader of her clan. Even at her age of ten years, she knew she wasn't meant for the great things people were going to expect from her.

Rin had always assured her she had other skills that were definitely useful. "Like making the best riceballs!" she liked to exclaim. Even if it wasn't exactly what Hanayo wanted to hear, it still made her happy. She took very great pride in her rice, after all.

But, it wasn't as if it was a very good ability, especially for a _ninja._

Hanayo didn't know what to do, didn't know how to get better, especially when it seemed as if training didn't seem to improve much for her. She wanted to do better but what could she do? What else was there for her to do that she hadn't already done? She trained every single day, even with Nico, who she admired greatly, and Rin, who was so full of boundless energy that she always felt so exhausted afterward. Sometimes Umi would come around and offer advice on how their throwing techniques. But no matter how much Hanayo tried... no matter how much she did... she couldn't-

-and she yelped as she fell face down onto the ground, her foot caught on a root. Hanayo whimpered, pushing herself off the ground to check herself. Other than her face hurting, it seemed fine. It would have been terrible if something happened to her and she couldn't train.

Hanayo looked all around, wondering where she was. She had gotten so lost in her thoughts that she wandered off away from the village-ah! She knew where she was now, as her eyes roamed over the familiar landscape of trees and foliage.

The village used the woods near the village as training grounds all the time so even someone like Hanayo knew how to navigate her way around. Even now, she knew exactly where she was, as she glanced all around and found the familiar trees where they all leaped around on. If she continued going west, she'd reach the path and that would be the village-

A strange sound made her blink. She slowly stood up, realizing the sound was still continuing. Hanayo carefully followed the sound to its source, too curious to stop now. As she got closer, she was starting to realize what it sounded like now. It sounded like... like someone... singing? Hanayo continued to creep closer until she realized the sound was coming from the middle of a clearing.

There... there was someone standing in the middle, someone small... maybe one of the other kids of the village? But why were they all the way out here, and by themselves? Hanayo sneaked closer, trying to get a glimpse of the mysterious singer. When she finally got close enough, her eyes widened and she gasped in surprise.

"O-oh!"

"Who's there?!"

Hanayo immediately ducked behind the tree she was luckily next to and held her breath. Tense seconds went by before finally, she heard something.

"Huh... no one there? O-of course there isn't!"

Several more seconds passed but the singing started up again. Hanayo let out her breath and waited just to be safe before sneaking around the tree, peeking into the clearing.

Ah! Hanayo could feel her eyes widening once more. With a feeling of anxiousness and trepidation, she finally realized that she could recognize who was singing.

There, on top of a stump, stood Maki Nishikino, the tiny heir to the Nishikino family, singing with the widest smile on her face. Hanayo didn't know what she was more in awe of, the fact that Nishikino was singing so wonderfully, or the fact that the usually grumpy-faced Maki had such a bright smile on. It seemed as if she was a completely different person.

Hanayo couldn't help but stare. completely entranced by the sight. She knew if she were caught, it would be all over but even still, Hanayo couldn't help it. Maki's voice was amazing, and the way she looked as if she was having so much fun singing... even Hanayo could feel the happiness rolling off of her. It made Hanayo smile too as she closed her eyes to better listen to her, humming softly under her breath.

The song ended, and there was nothing but silence. Hanayo opened her eyes and looked out, realizing Maki was done and she was preparing to leave. Hanayo slowly slipped away, being more than careful to hide her presence, especially now. If she was caught... she gulped, refusing to think about what would happened.

She hid herself in the grove of a tree trunk, waiting carefully. When she saw Maki speeding away from her, Hanayo let out a shaky breath of relief, glad she wasn't caught.

Hanayo was scared of how Maki would think of her, especially because their families... their families were...

Even so, Hanayo thought Maki's voice sounded lovelier than anything else.

 **-1-**

It was something that had started with their great-grandfathers.

It was more of a running joke than anything, really, their great-grandfathers being nothing but great friends. Once it had gotten to their grandfathers though, it had become a full on rivalry, with their grandfathers clashing often enough that they had become notorious throughout the village. Hanayo used to hear from her mother that if it wasn't for the Chief Yazawa at the time, Nico's grandfather, interfering, even Hanayo's mother and Maki's mother would have almost been the same way. In some odd way, they ended up being friendly with each other despite their fathers opposing each other.

And now, it was the next generation, Hanayo and Maki.

Maki Nishikino was talented, in every sense of the word. She was quick on her feet (though not as quick as Rin but _who_ was quicker than Rin really?), able to hide her presence within a matter of seconds, and she was confident in all her abilities. Hanayo had even heard rumors that even at her young age, she was already being given missions and assignments.

She was everything Hanayo wasn't, the perfect heir to her family.

… and, like their grandfathers, took their family rivalry very seriously.

Maki had always taken to calling Hanayo out at every turn, always trying to challenge her and prove how much better she was. Hanayo didn't mind, using the opportunities to try to better herself, to see what Maki was doing differently so she could try to adapt. It didn't really work though, not when Maki's level of skill almost completely outclassed her in every way. But Hanayo didn't want to seem like she was weak so she had always accepted Maki's challenges. Hanayo knew she was, but that didn't mean she wanted to be pitied for it.

And now, today, Umi had taken to overseeing their training. Of course, Maki had immediately taken to taunting Hanayo, boasting that she'd be able to get a perfect mark today. Hanayo only nodded mutely and prepared for the inevitable results she knew were coming.

"Hm... you've definitely improved since last month, haven't you? Still not all of them, but missing only one is pretty good too," Umi said, accessing Maki's dummy where all her training kunai were. "I don't have much to correct for you. On the other hand..." Umi trailed off, looking over at Hanayo's results. On her target, there were only five out of the twenty training kunai they were given, the others scattered somewhere in the field. Hanayo panted, her arm sore.

Umi smiled consolingly at her while Maki smirked, obviously proud that she had managed to beaten Hanayo once again. It wasn't really too hard, Hanayo couldn't help but think, sighing as she wiped the sweat off her brow.

"Kayo-chin, Kayo-chin!" Rin shouted as she ran over from where she was watching, also shouting her greeting to Umi as well. "Are you done? Let's take a break! Honoka-chan's making some fresh bread for us!"

"A-ah?" Hanayo let herself be helped up by Rin, perked up at the thought of food. "R-really?"

"Yep!" Rin nodded and turned to Umi. "Honoka-chan is making bread! She told me to tell you!"

"Is that so? Thank you." Umi nodded to them. "I'll help you out some more tomorrow, Hanayo. Make sure to get some rest, okay?" She smiled before reaching out, patting Hanayo on the shoulder. "You too, Maki!"

Rin made a face at the mention of Maki's name. Maki was near them, huffing as she stared at them.

"C'mon, Kayo-chin, let's leave," Rin quickly said, tugging on Hanayo.

"A-ah, wait." Hanayo turned to Maki, offering her a polite smile. "N-Nishikino-san, w-would you like to, um, come with us?"

Maki blinked at them, clearly caught unaware before she sneered at them. "W-what? Of course not! Who do you think I am? I'm not some kind of slacker like you, Koizumi." She crossed her arms, offended at the thought. "You should be training more! Not that it'll make much of a difference because you won't be able to catch up to me anyway."

Rin scowled at her, rushing forward. "Look-"

Hanayo tugged her back, shaking her head. "N-no, it's okay," she whispered. She looked up at Maki, who stepped back tensely, as if waiting for a retort. Hanayo offered a strained smile. "M-maybe next time then, g-good day." With those words, Hanayo bowed in dismissal before turning around, pulling on her friend.

Rin didn't look too happy but she followed after Hanayo, sticking her tongue out at Maki as she left. Hanayo sneaked a glance behind her, finding a livid Maki who looked torn between wanting to stick her tongue out in a childish act but not wanting to seem immature. She settled for kicking at the dirt instead, glaring at the ground.

Hanayo couldn't help but feel a pang inside of her, thinking Maki looked lonelier than anyone else.

 **-2-**

Every night, without fail, Maki would sneak out to the forests and sing to her heart's content. And every night, without fail, Hanayo would be hiding nearby, listening to her wonderful voice and song.

How long did this go on? Hanayo wasn't sure, only knew that if she could, she would listen to Maki's beautiful singing forever if she could. However much Maki treated her, Hanayo bore no grudge against her. Maki had something to prove, to show that she was the better of the heirs in their families, and if that was one use Hanayo had, then that was okay with her.

Until one night.

Hanayo hurried to her spot, later than usual tonight. Nico had offered to help train her and Rin, and Hanayo couldn't pass such an excellent opportunity to learn from one of the village chief's daughters. She should have realized that it would have taken longer than usual. After they finished, Hanayo rushed away, hurriedly thanking Nico for her help. She would need to properly thank her later, maybe with some snacks.

So rushed and focused on making her way to the clearing that it hit her then, as she stopped in her tracks.

The woods were silent.

Hanayo furrowed her brow in confusion, moving cautiously now. She wasn't sure if that meant Maki was still here or not, and she wasn't going to take any chances.

To her surprise, Maki still was, but she sat on the stump, slouched over as if she was tired. Was she already finished? But Hanayo hadn't been _that_ late...

She watched as Maki suddenly whipped her head up, took a deep breath, and began to sing.

Hanayo brought her hands to her mouth in shock, eyes wide. Maki's song... it... it sounded sad and angry, with Maki's voice deeper than normal today. Hanayo shivered, unable to help the painful pang she felt in her chest. She wondered what had to be going through Maki's mind, to sing with such sadness today. Had something happened to her recently? Hanayo hadn't heard anything about the Nishikino so what could have-

A loud snap made Hanayo gasp loudly, too caught up in her thoughts to realize she was supposed to keep silent. She looked down, blinking at the snapped twig. It took her a moment to realize that this also meant-

"You!"

And Hanayo yelped when a face appeared in front of her. She drew back from fear, her back hitting the tree, at the sight of Maki's furious face. "You... you were listening to me," she said accusingly, narrowing her eyes. Hanayo could only stand there frozen like a statue, unable to move under Maki's dark stare. "Koizumi!"

"Y-y-y-yes?!" Hanayo shouted in a loud yelp. Maki winced but she shook her head, angry look returning.

"You were listening to me sing. You probably think I sound bad, don't you," she accused.

Hanayo felt nothing but confusion, finally looking at Maki with wide eyes. "H-huh?! What?! N-no, I don't-"

" _Of course_ you do, what am I talking about," Maki cut in, looking away as she did so. Her face was red with anger as she continued to mutter to herself. "Who do they think they are? I know I have to become the heir and anything less than perfect is unacceptable but to even say something about my singing..." She clenched her hands into fists, growling.

"U-um, N-Nishikino-san, I-"

" _What_?!"

Hanayo flinched at the harsh tone but she tried to brave through her fear. "I... I, u-um, think your... your singing sounds... nice."

Maki paused, watching her suspiciously. "You're just saying that. And what you just heard was my absolute worst. Are you making fun of me now?"

Hanayo quickly shook her head and opened her mouth, about to tell her that she was wrong before she realized that would also reveal that she had been sneaking here to secretly listen to Maki sing for the past few weeks. With how Maki seemed to be on a short fuse today... Hanayo was sure Maki wouldn't take to hearing something like _that_ very... nicely. Ah... what could she do...

"... hmph, whatever, how could I expect any different from Koizumi?" She sneered at Hanayo, reaching out to push her slightly. "I don't care what you think! I'm... I just have to be the perfect heir, that's it," she said, but Hanayo thought she sounded like she was trying to convince herself. Hanayo had heard the words so many times, echoed in her own mind, but there was something sad about the way Maki kept trying to repeat it to herself. Wasn't Maki already the perfect heir to her family? Why did she look as if she wasn't happy?

"Nishikino-san-"

And Hanayo blinked, realizing Maki was gone now. "Oh..."

Hanayo chanced sneaking back to the clearing the next night. As she half expected, Maki was no where to be found. The same happened for the night afterward as well, the clearing empty. She tried a third time but just as the previous times, there was nothing but silence in the emptiness. Hanayo couldn't help the sadness inside, feeling as if she had lost something by not being able to hear Maki's singing.

Hanayo didn't expect there to be dire consequences to being caught.

"I challenge you!"

Hanayo blinked up from where she stood, shocked at the sudden declaration. "H-huh? U-um, what?"

"That's right." And before she knew it, Maki had taken her arm, dragging her away.

"A-ah! N-Nishikino-san! Where—ah, um-" Sighing, Hanayo surrendered herself to her fate, quickly regaining her balance so she could properly use her feet to follow after the other girl.

They stopped outside of the woods. Maki gestured to it. "We'll have a race. First one to where the waterfall in the middle is the winner. Since we're both the heirs to the great clans, it should be no problem to us, right?"

Hanayo gulped. "N-N-Nishikino-san, u-um, I... I don't think-"

"What, you think you're too good for this!?"

Hanayo froze, nervously clutching her hands to her chest. There was... something strange with Maki today. She seemed even shorter tempered than normal, as if she was in a rush to... do... _something_. Was... was she still mad that Hanayo had caught her singing?

What she was asking for though... Hanayo looked at the woods, suddenly so intimidating. She was slow, completely unfitting someone who had the name of Koizumi, much less someone who was meant to be _heir._ She knew Maki could get through the woods no problem, maybe even being able to lap Hanayo _twice_ if she really wanted to.

But, even Hanayo still had her own pride, even if it was minuscule compared to everyone else. She could still do this, just... not... up to everyone's expectations. But that was better than nothing! She wanted to believe she had gotten slightly better since the last time.

"U-um... okay, I guess," she agreed, unable to help the hesitant tone still. Maki nodded at her, a smirk on her face, one that told Hanayo she knew that the Koizumi heir was going to lose.

But that was normal.

And now, Hanayo was beginning to regret this rash decision, as she felt her body burning for air. They were even at the start, but now Hanayo's lack of stamina and endurance caught up and before long, she was struggling to breathe as she pushed herself to keep going. Maki was still in sight, which meant Hanayo wasn't doing _that_ bad, but she was steadily pulling away. Hanayo landed on the branch of the tree, trying to ignore how her legs seemed too sore to even move, and kicked off, aiming for the next branch.

She landed—and her legs crumpled underneath her. Hanayo yelped as she felt herself sliding backward, feet in the air now. She closed her eyes and braced herself.

When she opened her eyes, the fall was less painful than she thought though her back still ached. She wasn't as high up as she thought, which was good, she guessed. Groaning with pain, she pushed herself up, looking around.

Maki was already way ahead of her, too focused on getting to the end to notice Hanayo had fallen. She couldn't help but think that if Maki had, she would stop to gloat because she knew Hanayo would never catch up anyway.

N-no! Hanayo was still okay. Though she knew she had lost, she didn't want to give up halfway. She would at least make it to the end, to prove that she was at least capable enough to do _this._ It was the least she could do, for her family. Pushing herself up, she slowly continued, trying not to wince at the throbbing of her back.

She wasn't sure how long it took but eventually, she could see the clearing Maki wanted them to meet at, where the cliffs were and the waterfall was at. Maki was already sitting there with an impatient scowl, arms crossed and finger tapping against it. The moment she saw Hanayo, she stood up, scowl worsening. Hanayo began to run, not wanting to keep Maki waiting any longer. With the goal finally in sight, Hanayo sprinted as fast as she could.

And her foot caught on the root of a tree.

She tripped, sliding painfully across the dirt. She whimpered, curling within herself as she glanced down at her legs. Her knees were scraped and there was blood dripping down her legs. It was gross and Hanayo didn't know what she wanted to cry more at, the pain or the terrible sight of her wounds. Her arms hurt as well but her legs hurt even more. She slowly pulled herself upright, tears slipping out of her eyes at the pain. Everything and everywhere hurt even more now.

A shadow looming over her made her look up. The sight of Maki staring at her made Hanayo feel a painful pang inside her chest. She knew Maki would never like her but she... she still... she still wanted to be seen as something maybe worthy enough to be a rival. Right now... the way Maki looked at her... there was nothing but pity and utter disappointment.

"Hmph, is this _really_ the best the Koizumi can do?" Maki scoffed, crossing her arms. "It wasn't as if I was expecting a lot in the first place but this is pathetic, especially for someone of the Koizumi. What sort of heir are you supposed to be if you can't even do something as basic as this?"

Hanayo continued to stare at her, wrapping her mind around Maki's words. They stung, hurting even worse than the scrapes on her knees right now or the bruises on her back. But why they hurt so much...

Maki blinked at the sudden smile on Hanayo's face. "Y-yeah, you're... you're right," Hanayo whispered, closing her eyes with a sob. "I'm not fit... I'm not fit to be the heir. There's nothing special about me and I... I shouldn't..." She brought her hands to her face, crying into them. "I'm so useless and I'm no good and I can't do _anything_ at all and... I'm... I shouldn't... I shouldn't even be allowed to be a ninja!" She sucked in a breath, trying to contain her sobs but the dam broke and Hanayo could do nothing but weep.

"H-huh?!" Maki stepped closer to her, panic in her eyes.

"K-Kayo-chin!" And suddenly, Rin was next to her, helping her up. Hanayo cried out at the sudden pain she felt from being moved. Rin snapped her head up, glaring at Maki. "What did you do to Kayo-chin!? Why do you keep picking on Kayo-chin all the time!? She doesn't even do anything to you and you're just always being a stupid bully to her!"

"R-Rin-chan," Hanayo gasped, tugging on her friend. "It-it's fine, it's okay-"

"No, it's not okay!" Rin snapped, letting out all of the frustration she felt at not being able to help her friend. "She just keeps picking on you all the time and you just take it and that's not right! Nishikino needs to know exactly how much she hurts you-"

"Hey! What's going on?" Everyone turned their heads to find Nico running toward them. Behind her was Nozomi, tilting her head at them. They glanced between Hanayo and Maki, and Nico was now beginning to understand what must have happened. "Nishikino, get out of here," Nico said with a scowl. "We don't need you around here making things worse."

Maki froze at Nico's words, her eyes wide. Nico and Rin both glared at her. Another moment passed before she scowled, huffing angrily to herself. "F-fine! Whatever, it's none of my concern then!" And just like that, she spun on her heels and left, without looking behind her.

"Kayo-chin, are you okay now?" Rin asked, her voice softer now. Nico bent down, sucking in a breath as she looked at Hanayo's knees.

"I'll go get Kotori, wait here." And just as quick as she came, Nico was gone. Nozomi took her place, making soothing sounds and patting Hanayo's back consolingly. Her eyes continued to dart between her and where Maki had taken off though.

"It's okay now, Kayo-chin," Rin said reassuringly, "Rin will make sure she'll never bother you again, don't you worry—ah?! Are you crying even more?!

Hanayo couldn't help the sobs, unable to push away the sinking feeling in her chest that she had made everything worse.

 **-3-**

Hanayo spent the next few days resting up at home. Her mother fed her her favorite rice balls so it wasn't bad being cooped up but there was a restlessness to Hanayo that she couldn't contain. She kept thinking about everything that had happened. If Hanayo was a little stronger... if she was a little better... then that wouldn't have happened...

All she had done was proven herself to Maki exactly how weak she was, how far her uselessness ran. And now, Maki would hate her forever and think of Hanayo as nothing but weak. The thought crushed Hanayo.

Finally, after several days, Hanayo was allowed to move. It still hurt to walk but at least she didn't have to worry about her wounds opening up like they kept doing. The herbs from Minami helped much better than her mother thought but Hanayo could still feel their bitterness at the back of her throat days after taking the herbal tea.

Rin came to visit her everyday, helping Hanayo stave off complete boredom, telling her stories of what was going on with the village.

"-and then the alpacas started chewing on Nico-chan's hair, nya!" she finished with a snicker. Hanayo laughed, making a note to apologize to Nico later for not being able to take care of the alpacas as she normally did. Their laughter died down and Hanayo fidgeted, wondering if it was okay for her to ask.

"U-um, by the way, Rin-chan..." she started, gulping slightly when Rin tilted her head curiously. "Ni... Nishikino-san, how is she?"

Rin's face immediately darkened. "Why do you care about her so much, Kayo-chin? She hurt you! And Rin bets she won't even come around to apologize."

"R-Rin-chan! Please!" Hanayo pleaded, shaking her head. "It's... it's... um, complicated." Rin made a face but let out a huff.

"Rin heard she went missing for a few days and then when they found her, she had a broken arm, nya," she said plainly.

Hanayo's eyes widened. "H-huh?!" Rin shrugged.

"That's what Rin heard. Dunno if it's true or not but Rin doesn't care about Nishikino anyway." She stuck her tongue out. "Rin won't let her hurt you again!"

Hanayo could only nod, understanding her friend would never forgive Maki, but Hanayo... what Hanayo wanted...

Her chance came another few days later.

"A-ah! Mother, where are you going?" Hanayo asked, blinking at the sight of her mother preparing to go outside.

"Hanayo?" Her mother looked over at her. "I'm going to visit the Nishikinos, their daughter's hurt, you know. I thought I might be able to drop off the spare herbs Minami gave us."

"O-oh? You're... you're going over to the Nishikino?" Hanayo asked, her voice quiet. She felt shy for some reason, trying to gather her courage to ask what she wanted. But... would Maki even...

Her mother smiled at her. "Hanayo, would you like to see Maki-chan as well?"

Hanayo widened her eyes before quickly nodding. "Y-yes! Ah, um, w-wait, l-let me go get..." and she ran off to where she previously was, the kitchen.

And now, Hanayo was at the Nishikino residence, standing outside in the courtyard, with her whole body trembling from apprehension. Her mother had stayed to talk to Maki's mother and Maki's mother had pointed to where Maki herself was, most likely where their garden was. Not wanting to bother and impose on her any longer, Hanayo hurried off to where she had pointed.

Hanayo stopped though, looking down at the bag in her hands, wondering if she was going to overstep her boundaries. Maybe she was. After all, Maki didn't have a high opinion of her anymore, not that she probably did in the first place.

Hanayo wanted to believe that there could come a day where they would be able to put aside their differences and become something... not rivals. Friends seemed too strong a connection but at least something where Maki didn't have to act like Hanayo was her enemy and ready to betray her. But Hanayo had ruined that chance and now Maki would never even want to be friends, much less acquainted, with someone as weak and useless as her. At the very least though, Maki was still hurt right now, and Hanayo wanted to do something to help her.

Before her courage left her, Hanayo took a step forward, walking around the corner of the house. And there sat Maki, staring outward as she swung her feet from where she sat at the edge of the deck. Just as Rin said, one of Maki's arm was in a cast. Hanayo watched her, wondering why there was some sort of off feeling to Maki. She wanted to continue watching the other girl but Hanayo knew she didn't have long before her mother would call her back, so she crept closer.

"H-hello," Hanayo greeted in a quiet voice once she was close enough. Maki shouted in surprise and whipped her head at her, gawking. Hanayo blinked rapidly at her response.

"W-when did you get there?! I mean, why are you here?!" Maki snapped out, looking away with a scowl. "Here to make fun of me, aren't you?"

"N-no," Hanayo said, shaking her head. Gathering all the courage she had, she finally shuffled her feet closer to where Maki was sitting, keeping her gaze trained on the floor.

"... what is it?" Maki asked with a huff, frowning at how Hanayo couldn't even look at her.

"U-um!" Hanayo glanced up at her before shooting her eyes down to the bag in her hands. She distracted herself by unwrapping it, revealing three rice balls inside. "I-I... um... made these and thought you... you might... like..." she trailed off, trembling as she looked down at her crudely made food. She thought it was a good idea at the time but now that she sat here, it was being clear how foolish her idea was. Maki surely had better food than hers, and why should Maki care about what Hanayo could give her?

"I!" Hanayo shook her head, quickly wrapping up her bag again. "I-I'm sorry, n-never mi-"

"Hey!"

The shout froze Hanayo, wondering if she had angered Maki again.

"... you made food for me, didn't you? I... I haven't eaten anything since the morning. I guess I can take one," Hanayo heard in a rushed mutter.

Hanayo took the chance to look up. Maki's face was turned away from her, looking down at her hands with a scowl. She had been staring for so long that Maki finally turned to her, impatient look on her face. "R-right, sorry!" she said, carefully taking a rice ball and holding it out for the other girl. Maki looked down at it with a huff before taking it with her good hand. She turned it all around, sniffing at it.

"... it's not poisoned, is it?" she asked with a raised brow. Hanayo quickly shook her head and cast her eyes downward, slightly hurt that Maki would think so. "... fine!" And she took a bite. Tense seconds went by. Hanayo heard her swallow. It was still silent even as Maki took another bite.

Hanayo let out a shaky breath. "I-I'll take the r-rest if y-you didn't like-"

"Mm!"

Hanayo paused again, glancing up. Maki gestured to her mouth, hiding it with her sleeve as she continued to chew. Hanayo waited for her to finish though it felt as if it took forever. She finally finished and gestured down to her other side. "Here. Leave them here."

"... h-huh?"

"I s-said leave them here! What's the point of y-you making something for me and then you taking it?" Maki scowled at her, as if it was Hanayo's fault that she had to explain something so easy.

"O-oh!" Following Maki's instructions, she did exactly that, unable to help feeling bewildered that _Maki_ would want her food.

They continued to sit in silence, neither of them saying a word though Maki continued to eat her rice ball. Hanayo darted her eyes all around, wondering what excuse to give so she could leave this awkward situation. She had come to give Maki what she wanted but she felt like Maki would get mad if she just suddenly left so soon.

"K-Koizumi."

Hanayo startled, shouting. "Y-yes!"

"... what's with you," Maki muttered, sighing. "Whatever. Your... um, rice balls... they..." her voice trailed off, too quiet for Hanayo to hear.

"H-huh? I couldn't hear you."

For some reason, Maki's face turned even more red and she looked as if she was about to explode. "I said, your rice balls were g-"

"Hanayo-chan!"

The both of them snapped their heads up. There, around the corner of the hallway, was Hanayo's mother, watching them with a smile. "We're going home now, are you done talking to Maki-chan?"

"A-ah, um, yeah!" Hanayo called back, quickly standing up, very glad for her mother appearing. But she turned around half way, glancing over at Maki. "O-oh! U-um, were you going to say something?"

Maki narrowed her eyes at her, looking as if she was about to snap a response out before she closed her mouth. She looked down at the rice balls and up at Hanayo before looking away, muttering. "T-thank you for the food."

Hanayo almost gaped at her if she hadn't remembered her mother was watching them. Instead, she awkwardly bowed, giving Maki a nervous smile. "Y-you're welcome," she returned, running away to her mother afterward.

It was the most nerve wracking thing Hanayo had ever least... at least she had managed, _somehow_. That was more than what could be said for her other things.

Hanayo didn't expect that for _this_ to happen though.

Three days later, things changed.

"Koizumi!"

Hanayo looked up, almost freezing at that familiar voice. There was Maki down the road, still with her arm in a sling, staring at her as she marched closer. Immediately, Rin and Nico were at her side, eyes darting between Hanayo and Maki.

Nico's voice was a warning. "Nishikino-"

"I promise I'm not going to do anything," Maki immediately said, scowling. "I just, want to talk to Koizumi. I can do that, can't I? And seriously, what do you even think I can do with a broken arm?" She scoffed at them. "If you're so scared of me with a broken arm-"

"I-it's okay!" Hanayo quickly interrupted, realizing her friends were getting more and more tense with each word Maki was saying. She smiled reassuringly at them though she was sure it looked more like an awkward grimace instead. "U-um, it'll be fine, I can, um, handle it, really."

They looked unconvinced but sat back down hesitantly, still glancing between Hanayo and Maki. "If you need anything, just yell," Nico said, still looking uneasy. Maki rolled her eyes but said nothing, gesturing with her head for Hanayo to follow after her before spinning on her heels and taking off.

Hanayo did, her mind whirling. What could Maki want with her?

She wasn't sure where they went, too busy coming up with all sorts of terrible ideas on what Maki could even want to do with her. It wasn't until she bumped into Maki that she realized they stopped.

Maki let out a hiss of pain, quickly whirling around. "Watch where you're going!" she snapped. Hanayo yelped and nodded quickly.

She didn't expect Maki to widen her eyes at her. Maki looked away, growling under her breath. "I... I mean..." she glanced back at Hanayo. "... does it still..." Maki waved her hand vaguely over Hanayo's body, "uh, hurt?" Hanayo blinked at her, taking a moment to realize that Maki was now talking to her. Maki narrowed her eyes impatiently.

Hanayo glanced down at herself before answering. "Only a little but it's... it's better than before."

"... oh." Maki pushed her lips together, looking as if she wanted to say something but was being held back instead. She glanced up at Hanayo's eyes before looking away and then looked back. She repeated this several times. Hanayo waited patiently, completely unsure of what Maki was up to now.

"W-wait here," she suddenly said, pointing to the ground. "I'll, er, I'll be right back. Trust me, just, um, wait _here_." She walked backward slowly, eyes trained on Hanayo as if Hanayo would bolt the moment she took her eyes off. Hanayo only nodded slowly, completely confused as to what was going on now. After making sure Hanayo was still there even after she was some distance away, Maki turned around and took off in a run, awkwardly stumbling away.

Hanayo watched, eyes wide as she watched Maki trip several times, luckily managing to catch herself in time. Before long, Maki disappeared around a corner of a building. She turned her eyes outward instead, sighing softly as she looked over the fields that surrounded their village. The wind was blowing slightly today, offering a cool breeze. Winter would be coming soon, Hanayo thought absently. If Maki were still singing, would she still go out to the woods, even when there was nothing but snow and coldness? But it wasn't as if Hanayo would know now, not when-

Hanayo yelped when a hand thrust itself in front of her. She looked up fearfully until she realized Maki was back and holding... flowers? Hanayo gaped at them, eyes widening in surprise.

"H-here!" Maki growled, pushing the flowers into Hanayo. "H-hurry up and take them a-and stop s-staring at me!"

Unable to do anything but take the flowers shoved at her, Hanayo glanced down at them. "H-huh? W-why? Um... I... I don't... I don't understand..." Her eyes widened once more as she recognized them. "These flowers! They're the ones in the mountain! I... I only saw them once with my parents but they were so beautiful! They're in a really high place though and they only grow on the cliffs! How... how did you get them?"

"How _else_ do you think," Maki immediately retorted, scoffing at her. "Why else do I have a broken arm-" and she froze, realizing what she had revealed.

Hanayo slowly turned to her, eyes still wide but surprised for a completely different reason now. "You... you went to the mountains by yourself to pick these flowers? For... for..." she couldn't finish the sentence, not wanting to get ahead of herself. Maki wrinkled her nose in displeasure.

"J-just shut up and t-take the flowers!" she angrily stammered out. "Y-you like these flowers, don't you? I-I overheard that f-friend of yours saying you did. So t-there! A-and... And! Your rice balls f-from the other day too! They... they were, um, g-good. Even b-better than our cook's." Maki's voice began to trail off the more she spoke. Hanayo's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting that at all.

"A-and, I'm... I-I'm sorry for... for the other day," Maki continued to mumble, staring down at the ground.

Hanayo felt as if she was in a dream now. There... there was no way this was happening. It was too much for her. Yes, it had to be a dream... a very nice dream but a dream nonetheless...

Maki looked up at her and gaped, waving her hand frantically.

"H-huh!? You're crying again!? Why!?"

"A-ah? A-am I?" Hanayo slowly raised her hand to her face, feeling wetness on it. She pinched her cheek afterward just for good measure. "Oh... I... I guess this isn't a dream..."

"H-huh?! What are you talking about?"

"I... I thought this was a dream b-because there's... there's... there isn't any reason for N-Nishikino-san to do this for me because y-you... you hate me, d-don't you." She couldn't stop the tiny sob that escaped and she tried to frantically rub at her eyes, not wanting to cry in front of Maki again, but she couldn't stop her hiccups.

Maki blinked at her, completely shocked. There was an uncomfortable feeling in her, something that made her chest feel tight. She pushed her lips together, hesitating for only a few more seconds before she reached into her pocket.

Hanayo nearly shouted when she felt something soft on her face. It took another moment for her to realize that it was Maki's handkerchief and the other girl was trying to awkwardly wipe her tears away. "N-Nishikino-san?!"

"W-what?" Maki's voice, usually gruff, was a little softer than normal. She took the handkerchief away, allowing Hanayo to get a look at her embarrassed face. "D-does it hurt?"

Hanayo shook her head, wondering what was even happening anymore. Maki let out a sigh of relief before holding out her handkerchief, darting her eyes away. "H-here, you can borrow it."

"Ah... thank you." Hanayo shyly took the cloth, wiping her eyes as she continued to sniffle.

"... i-it's fine." Maki stepped back, looking away from her. Neither of them said anything, with the awkward silence only being broken by Hanayo's occasional sniffles.

Finally, Hanayo took the chance to look up. Maki's eyes were turned toward the ground, staring so intently that Hanayo felt as if she was trying to burn a hole into the ground.

"N-Nishikino-san-" Maki immediately snapped her head up.

"What?"

Hanayo was taken aback by the immediate response that it took her a moment to remember what she wanted to say. She looked down at the flowers in her hands, her fingers gently brushing against their petals as she mumbled.

Maki frowned. "Did you say something? I didn't hear you."

Hanayo slowly looked up and even though her nose was runny and there were tears dripping down her face, she beamed at Maki. "Thank you, Nishikino-san."

Maki stared at her, wide-eyed. Hanayo wanted to laugh but she was sure Maki would get mad. But Maki continued to stare at her, a flush slowly creeping across her cheeks.

Maki swallowed, feeling inside of her that she didn't know whether was good or bad. All she knew was in that moment, seeing Hanayo smile at her, it felt... nice. But with the knowledge of everything she had done to Hanayo, and for Hanayo to still be able to smile at her like that...

Maki turned her eyes away, unable to withstand Hanayo's lovely smile any longer, her whole face entirely red. "Y-yeah, whatever, no problem." Hanayo let out a quiet sound of happiness, and Maki could feel her face heating up again.

Hanayo still continued to smile, feeling nothing but relief and joy at the thought that maybe things could change and they already were.

She was unaware of the storm of thoughts in Maki's mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Rin and Nico stood at their usual meeting spot outside, leaning against the fence. They looked at each other, frowning. "We said meet here before the sun hit its peak right?" Nico asked.

"Y-yeah! Kayo-chin's usually never late, I wonder what might have happened..." Rin trailed off worriedly.

"Rin-chan! Nico-chan!" The both of them looked up and opened their mouth to greet Hanayo before they died down, their eyes widening instead.

There, down the road was Hanayo. What shocked them the most though, was that behind her was a scowling Maki with her arms crossed, dutifully following after Hanayo.

"K-Kayo-chin?!" Rin shouted, immediately running forward to pull Hanayo away. "What are you doing to her-"

"Rin-chan!" And Rin stopped, blinking at how Hanayo's voice was surprisingly steady this time. She smiled at them, turning to gesture to Maki. "I-it's okay, really! I was the one who invited her out."

Nico and Rin shared a look. Hanayo looked behind her, smiling gently as if she was trying to coax an animal forward. Maki rolled her eyes but she walked forward, her posture so stiff that she seemed more like a statue than a living person.

"... hello," Maki greeted in the flattest voice ever, quickly glancing at both of them before she looked away, pinkness creeping into her cheeks. Nico and Rin stared at her wordlessly, glancing back and forth between Maki and Hanayo.

"U-um... I'm sorry, I-I wanted her to come. Is... that fine?" Hanayo asked, shuffling her feet as she looked up pleadingly at Rin and Nico. The both of them felt a tug on their hearts and nearly agreed on the spot, but still... they looked at each other, unsure.

"... w-whatever," Maki said in that moment, huffing. "I don't even want to be here, go h-have fun with your friends." With that, she turned around and began to walk off.

"A-ah! Nishikino-san! Wait!" Hanayo reached out and grabbing Maki's arm before she got too. Maki froze, eyes immediately darting down to where Hanayo's hand was. "Please wait! I..." and her voice trailed off, looking at Rin and Nico hesitantly.

"Hey!" Rin marched forward. "Kayo-chin invited you out! Why are you turning down her offer?"

Maki scowled at her. "S-shut up! It's not that! I just know when... when I'm... not..." her voice trailed off and she looked down at the ground, glaring at it instead of finishing her sentence.

"... you can come with us but you better be on your best behavior," Nico called out. She shot a look over at Hanayo before meeting Maki's eyes. The unsaid warning was understood, when Maki stiffened up but bit back her retort, slowly nodding. Satisfied, Nico turned around and walked off, waving her arm for them to follow after her. "Let's get going then! Nozomi's already waiting for us over in the woods. I don't want to see what she's made Honoka blow up this time..."

Rin grabbed onto Hanayo's arm, glaring at Maki. "Rin's still not okay with it but if Kayo-chin wants this then..." Just as Nico did before, Rin stared at Maki threateningly. Maki met her eyes before looking away with a scowl, curtly nodding.

Hanayo glanced between the both of them, suddenly wondering if she really had made the right choice to invite Maki out. But Rin began to tug on her arm, dragging her away. "Nico-chan's already got a head start, nya! We gotta meet up with her!"

Hanayo stumbled after her, struggling to hold on. "R-Rin-chan! You're-you're going too fast! A-ah!"

So caught up in trying to follow after Rin that she realized she forgot she was holding onto Maki's arm as well. Her hand slid down and out of pure reflex, Maki caught her hand, but now the both of them were stumbling along, trying to pull after the energetic girl.

Maki managed to catch her balance in time and now she was easily following after them. She stared at the nearly foreign hand inside her own. The urge to pull out of it was strong, but...

Hanayo's hand was warm.

 **-1-**

It was awkward in the beginning, Hanayo had to admit. Maki was too prideful sometimes but she was always so... flustered? She wasn't sure if that was the right word, but Maki always seemed so... oddly tense. Whenever Hanayo tried to address her, Maki would always flinch with a small yelp before looking over at Hanayo worriedly, as if she had done something wrong. Maki slowly got better but it still stuck with Hanayo, and she felt even more timid when she needed to call out for her. Soon though, Maki no longer resisted as much whenever Hanayo tried to ask her to come play or train with the three of them, only giving her a curt nod before quietly following after her.

Rin had taken to teasing Maki mercilessly, quickly becoming one of Rin's favorite targets to prank. If it wasn't for Maki's own quick reflexes, Hanayo was sure the amount of pitfall traps the Nishikino heir would have fallen in would have severely increased (though it didn't matter much when Rin planned for those too and had a second surprise in store.) Hanayo could see the way Maki visibly strained to keep herself from blowing up but she always somehow always managed to refrain, settling for scowling deeply at everything.

Hanayo often tried to get Rin to stop or at least hold back and she did, for maybe a day or two until she started again. She couldn't help but think this was Rin's own way of revenge for what had happened between Hanayo and Maki, always trying her hardest to rile up the other girl and make her storm off in anger. It was impressive that Maki somehow managed to keep her cool though Hanayo knew she had come close several times by the way her face seemed to turn so red with anger and embarrassment that her whole head looked like a tomato.

Nico didn't do much until they were older but she constantly watched Maki like a hawk, waiting for her to commit some sort of terrible transgression so she would have an excuse to pull her away from Hanayo. But Maki never did, but sometimes after she said something, she'd randomly apologize and even Hanayo wasn't sure why and what Maki was apologizing for sometimes. Maki just had a blunt and honest way of talking that was different from Rin and Nico, something Hanayo didn't mind.

It was a very gradual process and though they constantly kept trying to keep Maki in check, they were beginning and trying to accept the other girl in their own little way. It helped that Maki was always the one who had the spare bandages ready whenever anyone got hurt, _especially_ Rin. It was during these times when she was bandaging them up that she lost her usual aloofness and scolded them for not being more careful. Even Rin had learned to stay quiet at these times. After making sure everything was cleaned up, Maki would nod and revert back to trying to appear indifferent, as if she hadn't _just_ chastised them for being reckless.

But... did Maki feel the same way as them though? Hanayo always tried to include Maki in their activities, happy that the other girl was no longer treating her with animosity, but she had never considered Maki's feelings. Did Maki only go along with her because she felt guilty for what had happened? If Hanayo had been forcing Maki this whole time... then...

Hanayo would learn her answer soon.

"Hey," Nico called out to them one day, "you're all coming with me on a mission."

Instantly, all three of them were alert. "H-huh? M-mission?" Rin said, suddenly nervous. Though Maki looked unaffected, Hanayo didn't miss the way she began to play with her hair, twirling it around her finger.

"A-aren't... aren't we too young?" Hanayo asked in a quiet voice, glancing between all of them. Maki was a year older but they were still younger than the age meant to be assigned missions.

"Well, not really mission," Nico admitted with a shrug. "Old man Tanaka lost his fox and he asked me to help him-"

"Is that it?" Rin interrupted with a frown. "That's so easy, nya! Why do you need us then?"

Nico shot a snide look at her. "Because his fox got lost in the woods, past the cliffs."

"... you just don't want to look by yourself," Maki said under her breath.

"Nishikino, I heard that." Nico scowled at them. "Anyway, let's go! There's still light and if we're lucky, we'll be able to find it today. Otherwise, we're all going back tomorrow! And if you don't follow _right now,_ I'm waking all of you up at the crack of dawn then!"

With that threat hanging in the air, all three of them immediately took off after their future chief though not without grumbling under their breaths. Nico ignored them all, smiling smugly as she led them to their destination. The walk was quiet and Hanayo wanted to try to help alleviate some of the weird tension that still existed between all of them.

"T-Tanaka-san's fox was the orange one right?" Hanayo asked, wanting to make sure. It was usually his daughter that helped track them down whenever it got loose but his daughter had been on a long term mission and wasn't back yet. Nico nodded.

"Yep, the one with the scar on its ear." Nico looked into the small pouch she carried on her waist. "Hm, I don't have any treats in case it gets into a tough spot..."

"Then we'll just use Nico-chan's hair," Rin piped up, grinning. "Animals love your hair, nya!"

Nico slowly turned around, her voice a menacing tone. " _Rin_..."

"Just kidding!" Rin said easily, sticking her tongue out playfully at the older girl. "Then..." She looked over at Maki, who tensed up at the sudden attention. "Rin bets Nishikino is the type of person who doesn't get along with animals, so maybe we could use her as bait."

"T-that's not true!" Hanayo cried out. "T-the alpacas, they, u-um, seemed to like her!"

"Y-yeah! The alpacas... uh, like me?" Maki furrowed her brow in confusion, wondering whether that was really a good thing or not.

Rin snorted at her. "That's probably because you're always around Kayo-chin, who always has treats for them!"

Maki narrowed her eyes, opened her mouth, and said nothing, closing it. "Hmph," she huffed instead. "W-whatever, it doesn't mean anything!"

"Nishikino, stop being a sore loser!"

"What?! What are you talking about?!"

Hanayo couldn't help but smile to herself as she listened to Rin and Maki argue back and forth. Only a while ago, Rin could barely address Maki without some form of hostility. Now, she was teasing Maki in lighthearted fun, and even Maki was responding back instead of silently fuming as she had always done. There were still times where the both of them were still distrustful of each other, with Rin watching Maki carefully and Maki trying to pointedly ignore her when this happened, but it was... it was progress, Hanayo wanted to think. It had to count for something!

"We're here!" Nico announced then, bringing Hanayo out of her thoughts. She glanced all around, taking comfort in the familiar trees and greenery of the woods.

"You guys check out around here, I'll be around the cliffs. Don't come there unless you have a good reason, it's too dangerous for you." And she couldn't help but smirk, shooting a look over at Maki. "I'm sure Nishikino knows."

Maki immediately flushed, her trademark scowl on her face.

"Alright, I'll be going now and I'll be coming to check up on you all every now and then so don't slack off!" And in a flash, Nico was instantly gone.

"Let's get started then," Maki said with a sigh, voicing their mood for all of them. They split up, going to different parts of the woods to search individually.

After some time, Hanayo wiped the sweat off her brow, staring up at the sky. The sun was further along in the sky, going down now. She couldn't help but feel as if they were searching _forever._ She swore she leaped around the whole forest like three times, even using some of the treats she had in her pack too to try to entice the fox out, but all to no avail. Hanayo jumped down from the branch she was on, easily landing on the ground with a small gasp.

"Koizumi, how's it going over there?" She heard Maki call out. Hanayo glanced behind her, wondering if Maki had always been nearby or if she just happened to be there.

"I-I haven't found anything—" and she stopped when she heard the rustle of bushes in front of her. She snapped her head back down, alert.

A pair of ears stuck out of the bush before the furry head of a fox followed. Hanayo blinked at the beady eyes looking at her curiously before she recognized the scar on its ear. She tensed up her body, ready to spring into action. The fox looked at her and Hanayo swore it gave her a smile before turning around and dashing off, bushy tail waving behind it.

"A-ah! Wait!" Hanayo scrambled on her feet, rushing off.

"K-Koizumi!"

Hanayo ran, keeping her eyes trained on the tail. So focused on trying to follow it that when it abruptly leaped into a bush, she nearly crashed into a tree. But she managed to right herself in time and stood before the bush it had disappeared into. It rustled tauntingly.

Taking a deep breath, Hanayo reached into the bush, feeling around for the-

A sharp pain made her yelp and pull back. When she looked at her arm, there was a bloody gash running down the length of it.

"Koizumi!" Maki was next to her then, looking at her arm.

"A-ah, Nishikino-san," Hanayo mumbled, watching Maki inspect her arm. The pain hadn't quite hit her yet—ah, there it was now, as she sucked in a breath at the terrible sting. "S-sorry, I wasn't c-careful."

"Never mind that, this..." Maki reached into her bag, pulling out a small container. She opened it to reveal some sort of ointment inside. "Here, treatment for your arm." Before Hanayo could blink, Maki had taken her arm and began to slather the ointment onto it, covering her wound. Hanayo tried not to cringe at the pain but Maki noticed anyway.

"S-sorry, I'll try to be gentler," she mumbled, going slower this time. Hanayo shook her head but her attention went down to the small bottle Maki had.

"Did you get this from Kotori-chan?"

"No, I made this myself." And Maki froze, as if realizing exactly what she said. Hanayo blinked at her.

"You... you made this yourself?" she asked.

"No! I mean!" Maki looked conflicted, as if she wanted to tell her but at the same time, didn't want to. Hanayo smiled gently her and shook her head.

"I-it's fine if you don't want to tell me."

"N-no! I... it's..." Maki sighed, finishing putting on the ointment before reaching into her bag to pull out bandages. She talked as she wrapped Hanayo's arm. "I... I did. I made it." Her voice was soft. "B-but it works and I-I'm not u-using you as a-an experiment or s-something! I, um, tried it on myself, and i-it worked s-so I know it works! They're almost as good as Kotori's herbs! I... think."

Hanayo blinked at her, still trying to make sense of Maki's words through all of her stuttering. Once she did though, she smiled. "O-oh! I, um, thank you. You're... um, knowledgeable about herbs then, Nishikino-san?"

Maki looked up at her but didn't answer right away. Hanayo realized why when she pulled away, having finished wrapping Hanayo's arm.

"It's not really that deep of a cut but remember to change the bandages every few hours. If you need more ointment, u-um..." Maki looked away, scratching the back of her neck as her voice began to get quieter and quieter, "j-just come find me and I'll give you more. I'll try to, um, put this into something smaller."

Despite the fact that Hanayo had to strain her ears to hear the end, she managed to catch everything. She nodded before looking down at her arm, inspecting her bandages. "Nishikino-san, I didn't know that you also... um, knew about healing." Maki looked up at her, frowning as if Hanayo had said something weird. Hanayo waved her hand frantically. "A-ah! I mean, I wasn't trying t-to, er, make fun of you, I-I just meant like..."

"No, I know." Maki looked away from her, her cheeks red for some reason. "I... I... um, there... there was some texts around and I read... up on some of it, I guess. Ah, b-but never mind that though!" she exclaimed suddenly. Hanayo became confused, wondering what else they were talking about.

"Y-yes?" Hanayo asked hesitantly, when Maki made no sound after her outburst. Maki's cheeks reddened and she glanced side to side first before looking at Hanayo in an oddly serious way.

"My... my name, you... you should... use that instead," she mumbled before rushing out a string of words in one breath. "I-I mean! It just feels weird to have you call me by my family name all the time and!" She ran out of breath but it looked as if her momentum also ran out as she returned to mumbling under her breath. "I... I mean... it's... I..."

Hanayo blinked at her. "Your... your name?" Her name...

"Ma... Maki," she said slowly, as if she had learned a new word. A moment passed and the both of them widened their eyes. Hanayo's face felt like it was on fire and she cleared her throat. "U-um! I... I-I mean, um, Maki... Maki-chan?"

"That's! That's, um, that's fine." Maki said in a high pitched squeak, looking away and twirling her hair.

"Maki-chan," Hanayo tried again, wondering why saying Maki's name was making her blush. The more she said it though, the more natural it was starting to feel. "Maki-chan. Maki-chan. Maki-"

"S-stop saying my name so much!" Maki pouted at her. "It... it sounds so embarrassing if you keep saying it."

"O-oh! Sorry." Hanayo swallowed, gathering her courage to voice her own request. "T-then... um, you... you can use my name too." For some reason, the words made Maki gape at her. Hanayo waved her hands frantically, rushing to clarify. "It's... it's only fair? I-I mean..."

Maki swallowed, feeling nothing but apprehension as she spoke. "Ha... Hanayo." She widened her eyes, as if she was discovering something for the very first time. "Hanayo," she said again, in a quieter and still unsure voice.

"Maki-chan," Hanayo returned with a nod, trying to smile reassuringly.

"Hanayo..." Maki said again, still blinking with wonder.

"Maki...-chan."

"... Hanayo?"

"Maki-chan!"

"... what the heck are we doing?" Maki said instead, her face exasperated. The sight of it made Hanayo giggle, now realizing how silly they were both being. Maki let out a quiet laugh as well, the corners of her mouth quirked upward. The sight of _that_ made Hanayo pause, staring at Maki.

Hanayo was always so used to Maki's usual scowl that it seemed weird for the other girl to make any other expression. Before, the smiles Maki used to direct at her were all smug as she gloated about her victories. And now, however small it was, Hanayo couldn't help but notice it here.

"... are you staring at me?" Maki asked suddenly, slightly uncomfortable. Hanayo shook her head, quickly realizing she was caught. "W-what is it?"

"N-nothing!" Hanayo quickly squeaked, getting up on her feet. "T-the fox is probably gone, we should go back, Rin-chan might be worried about us," she said instead, hoping to distract Maki. "A-and, um, t-thank you for taking care of my arm!"

"... no problem," Maki said with a shrug though she still looked at Hanayo strangely. "Let's get going then." They walked back to the clearing they all started at and Rin was there, worriedly looking all around. She let out a shout once she spotted them, rushing right over.

"K-Kayo-chin?! Where did you-ah! What happened to your arm!?" Rin exclaimed as she ran over to them.

"I'm okay!" Hanayo quickly said. "I-I saw the fox and it went into a bush and I tried to reach in but I got cut instead." She let out a sheepish laugh. "Um... Ni—I mean! I... u-um... M-Maki... Maki-chan helped me bandage my arm."

Rin paused, looking between the both of them. Hanayo tried to push down the blush threatening to blossom across her face although she was still better than Maki, whose whole face was already as red as her hair. Rin's expression instantly became sly.

"Kayo-chin, you're getting close to Nishikino! Which means..." She slung an arm around Maki, playful smile on her face. "Can Rin use your name too," she asked, obviously meant to tease the girl some more. Maki shot a quick look at her before looking away.

"... do whatever you want," she responded instead, sighing.

Both Hanayo and Rin were taken aback, sharing a look.

"We're... we're... w-we're..." Maki swallowed, glancing at the both of them before she looked down at the ground, her voice uncharacteristically quiet. "Aren't... aren't we... um... f-f-friends?"

Hanayo and Rin blinked rapidly and quickly shared another look. Maki was still refusing to look at them with her face turned downward, her hair falling in front of her and hiding whatever expression she currently had on.

"Huh?" Rin was the one who spoke, looking questioningly at the both of them. "Huh!? Really?!"

"N-never mind! For-forget it." Maki spun around on her heels, quickly walking off. "I-I'm going to check the other side of the woods, you two should go-"

"Maki-chan!" Hanayo shouted worriedly.

She froze in her tracks though she didn't turn around. Hanayo looked over at Rin. Her friend still looked uncertain but Hanayo knew her and recognized that Rin felt bad for her initial reaction. She nodded, hoping Rin would understand. Rin slowly returned the gesture and faced Maki, taking a deep breath.

"Maki-chan!"

And finally, Maki turned around, her eyes wide as she stared at Rin, who had shouted. The both of them stared at each other, as if waiting for _something_ to happen. Hanayo opened her mouth-

"W-what is it... R-Rin?" Maki finally stuttered out. Her whole face turned bright red again and she kept shooting glances at Hanayo, as if asking for help. Rin was the same way, expression pleading for help as she looked at Hanayo.

Hanayo couldn't help but laugh, smiling at the both of them. And soon, before she knew it, they were both joining her, laughing.

"Is that the sound of slacking off I hear?!" Nico appeared next to them in that moment, and they all scrambled away, back to their original mission. Nico watched them all run away, shaking her head and muttering about 'stupid kids.'

In the end, they caught the fox, but not without Maki and Rin getting scratched up in the process. Hanayo gave one last pat to its head before she handed it back to its owner, being the only one the fox would even allow to get close.

"Couldn't you have just used Honoka-chan's dogs?" Rin asked afterward, wincing as she poked at her cuts. Maki slapped at her hands.

"Stop touching it, you'll make it worse," she said. Rin scowled at her.

"You're doing it too, Maki-chan!" She reached out to slap at Maki's hands but crashed into Nico, who now slowly turned around to look at them.

"... that's right, huh."

Even Hanayo couldn't help but join her friends in groaning in unison.

 **-2-**

The seasons changed, and so did they.

They grew older, old enough to finally accept missions and jobs at sixteen years. Since Maki was a year older though, she already had a head start on it, but that was also all thanks to Nico.

"Here, your new mission," Nico said as she slapped the back of Maki's head with a scroll. Maki hissed with pain but said nothing, taking the assignment with a curt nod. She opened it and read through the contents, grimacing as she did so.

"... seriously, an escort mission? Those are so boring," Maki complained. "And why the hell is it so far away?" Nico shrugged, smirking at her.

"You want someone to keep you company then? I'm sure Nozomi or Honoka are free-"

"Don't you dare," Maki interrupted, her face pale at the thought.

Nico snickered at her. "Keep up the good work, Nishikino." She turned to Hanayo after. "Ah, right, Hanayo, I need your help later. The Hasekuras have some extra bags of rice and they agreed to let me-"

"R-rice?!" Hanayo immediately brightened up, nodding furiously. "W-whatever you need, I'm there!"

Nico gave her a strange look before she shook her head, smiling wryly. "Well, that was easier than I thought. Gotta run now, I'll see you later!" Waving goodbye to them, she disappeared in a flash. Maki still looked displeased, frowning as she stared at the scroll in her hands.

"If you don't like the mission, I can ask Nico-chan to give you something else," Hanayo said worriedly. Maki glanced up at her before waving her hand.

"No, it's fine, I'll do it." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's tedious but nothing I won't do, don't worry about it." Maki made a face. "And it isn't as if I can refuse anyway..."

"H-huh?"

Maki tapped the scroll. "The assignment is in two days and the village is also more than a half day's worth of travel away, so I'll have to leave tomorrow morning. There'll be no time to find anyone else. Probably no one wanted to take the mission anyway and she gave it to me. Like she always does," she added under her breath.

"Why... why would Nico-chan do that? Why would she wait so long?" Hanayo asked confusedly.

"... to piss me off," Maki muttered before shaking her head. "Never mind, I'll take care of it, don't worry about me." She turned to Hanayo, her expression apologetic. "I'm sorry, I won't be able to help you out with your garden."

"N-no! Don't worry about it, Rin-chan will be helping me out." Hanayo smiled at her. "G-good luck on your mission! Oh, what time are you planning on leaving tomorrow?"

"The morning, maybe just a little past when the sun comes out," Maki answered before she turned to Hanayo. "You don't have to, you know." Having heard this line many times, even from Rin too, Hanayo only shook her head and smiled up at Maki.

The next morning, Hanayo woke up earlier than normal. She sighed tiredly and rolled over, retreating further into her blankets and closing her eyes once more.

She snapped awake some time later, eyes wide with panic. "O-oh no! I wasn't supposed to sleep so late, ah..." She quickly scrambled out of bed, realizing she was now going to be cutting it close.

After refreshing herself up, she rushed to the kitchen, hoping she could make it in time. Once she finished, she quickly gathered her things into a small bag, running out the door.

"Hanayo, going out so soon?" Her mother called out. Hanayo yelped and nearly tripped on her face, surprised from the shout.

"I-I'll be back soon!" she answered back, quickly putting her shoes on and running down the familiar road.

Maki was already at the entrance of the village by the time Hanayo caught up to her. "M-Maki-chan!" Her friend turned around, eyes wide.

"Hanayo? When did you get here?" Her surprised look turned into amusement. "You just barely woke up, did you? Here..." Maki reached out, smoothing over a piece of Hanayo's hair. "It was sticking out."

"Ah..." Hanayo smiled gratefully at her. "T-thank you."

Maki nodded, a pink tinge on her face. "U-um, yeah, no problem. What are you doing here? I'm about to head out."

"Oh! Um, here!" Hanayo held up the bag in her hands. "I-I made some rice balls for you."

"... hm?" Maki blinked, looking down at the bag. "Ah..." She sighed, a tiny smile on her face. "Really? You don't always have to do this every time, you know."

"I-I know, but I want to," Hanayo replied, smiling back at her. "I would have made more but I accidentally woke up a little later." Maki looked away, the pink hue changing to a red now.

"U-um, yeah. I... guess." She took the bag from Hanayo's hands, holding it gingerly. "T-thank you."

"Of course!" Hanayo chirped out. "Good luck and stay safe on your journey."

"Yeah. I'll... I'll be off now, then." Maki nodded at her. Hanayo watched her leave, waving at her. She was about to walk away when Maki turned around. Maki slowly raised her hand, waving at Hanayo one last time, a gesture Hanayo eagerly returned with a wide smile. With that, Maki finally turned back around and took off in a leap.

Hanayo nodded to herself, turning around. "I need to get ready for today too," she said, walking back. Despite her determination, she let out a giant yawn. "A-ah... maybe after a quick nap first... I did wake up earlier than normal..."

Before Hanayo knew it, two weeks had flew by in the blink of an eye.

Maki still wasn't back yet and though the thought was worrying, Hanayo knew Maki could take care of herself. She was the Nishikino heir after all, and there wasn't anything she couldn't handle, Hanayo liked to think. Rin teased her for worrying but Hanayo knew her best friend was worried too, acting a little _too_ cheerful in order to help distract the both of them.

"It's _Maki-chan_ , nya," Rin said reassuringly as she hefted the bag of soil onto her shoulders. "Kayo-chin, where do you want me to put this?"

"A-ah, um, over there!" Hanayo pointed with her shovel before returning to digging a hole. "I know, but Nico-chan said it wasn't that hard and it wouldn't take that long, maybe only a week at the latest."

"You're just worrying too much, Rin thinks," her friend answered, throwing down the bag of soil and running back to pick up another one. Still, as Hanayo looked up, there was an uneasy look on Rin's face.

"I hope so," Hanayo murmured, putting it out of her mind to focus on the task she had been doing for the past two weeks.

Four days later, Hanayo was approached.

"Ah, Hanayo-chan!" She looked up-she immediately became stiff, bowing deeply.

"U-um! Ni-Nishikino-san!" she greeted.

"Hanayo-chan, so formal!" Maki's mother laughed, waving her up. "There's no need for that."

"A-ah, um, r-right." Hanayo slowly straightened herself up, preparing herself for what Maki's mother could want with her.

"Sorry to ask this of you but have you seen Maki-chan anywhere?"

Hanayo blinked. "Huh? Didn't... didn't she have a mission?"

"No, she came back last week already. Ah, she finished it without a problem, don't worry." Nishikino-san smiled reassuringly.

"O-oh, did she?" Hanayo furrowed her brow, thinking to herself. Maki liked to rest for a day or two before meeting up with them, but she would at least send word to let them know that she was back safe and sound.

"She's been waking up early in the morning and heading off until nighttime. I was hoping you might know but..." Nishikino-san sighed, a sound of worry. "She won't even tell me, her mother, anything! Ah, they just grow up so fast..."

"I-I'll try to find her, Nishikino-san," Hanayo replied nervously. "I-I'm sorry I couldn't b-be more help, um..."

"Ah, no, of course!" Nishikino-san patted her on the head. "Thank you for being Maki-chan's friend. I know she has a hard time opening up to others, especially to you."

"O-oh! Um, ah... um, yes, of course," Hanayo could only say, too flustered to say anything else. She hadn't been expecting Maki's mother to say something like that. She felt her cheeks warming when Nishikino-san smiled at her in a way that told her that she _knew._ Hanayo bowed awkwardly, murmuring her goodbyes and that she would help find Maki before rushing off.

She went all over the village, searching for familiar red hair. It was to no avail though, as she was _sure_ she circled the village twice already. She was silently thankful that she still kept up her training, as she leaped from building to building. She was sure it would have taken twice as long if she had run on the ground instead. Where... where could Maki even be now...

"Hanayo-chan! What are you doing?" A voice shouted out.

Hanayo turned her head downward to where the shout came from. Nozomi and-oh! She jumped off the building, landing carefully in front of them and bowing slightly.

"H-hello," she greeted, awkwardly glancing between amused green eyes and curious blue ones. "U-um, you wouldn't happened to have seen Maki-chan anywhere, have you?"

"Maki?" Eli glanced upward in a thoughtful expression. "Not around the village specifically but I caught her once in the woods."

"R-really?!" Hanayo blurted out. "O-oh, um, sorry."

Eli blinked, taken aback for a moment before she nodded. "That was maybe two days ago though? During the full mo-" And she broke off, coughing to herself. "Excuse me. Not sure if she'll still be there but you can try."

"Um, okay! T-thank you for your help!" Hanayo bowed again in thanks. "I'll, um, get going now." She turned around, hurrying off.

"Good luck," Nozomi shouted after her. Hanayo shouted her thanks.

Of course, the woods! Hanayo wasn't sure why she didn't come up with this sooner. She reached the outskirts of the village, staring up at the familiar trees that she had known her whole life. It was almost like playing in her own backyard at this point. She readied herself, about to leap atop a tree before she paused.

... ah, but _where_ in the woods though? Hanayo realized she had forgotten to ask Eli where she was. She stood back up, hand on her head as she thought to herself.

There was one place that was coming to her right now, but... there... _there_...

Before she realized, her feet were already taking off, easily going through the woods on a familiar route she used to travel on. Well, it was worth a try, Hanayo only thought. She'd figure it out from there.

… not that she really needed to, as she spotted Maki on top of a familiar stump in the middle of a familiar clearing, hunched over with her eyes serious as she stared ahead of her. Hanayo stilled, feeling a wave of familiar feelings hit her as she took in this sight. Unable to help the sudden apprehension and nervousness she felt, she crept closer.

Concentrating so much on keeping quiet that when Maki sighed loudly, the sound made Hanayo yelp in response. Maki snapped her head in her direction.

"W-w-who's there?!" she shouted, a dagger in her hands already and poised to strike-

"Maki-chan!" Hanayo shouted, rushing forward with her hands raised to stop Maki from attacking.

And Maki yelped instead, falling over onto the ground. Hanayo gasped, immediately rushing to her side and helping up the other girl. "Maki-chan!"

"Ha-Hanayo!? What are you doing here?!" Maki said, blinking rapidly at her.

"I... um... your mother asked me about you and I... I got worried and went to find you..." Hanayo trailed off, unsure now, especially when Maki let out an annoyed huff. "S-sorry, if you want to be l-left alone then I'll-"

"No, it's fine." Maki looked at her, the corners of her mouth twitching upward in an attempt to reassure Hanayo. "I... um, thanks, I guess."

Hanayo nodded, still uncertain about what else to say. It looked as if Maki wanted to be left alone but she... she said it was fine? The situation felt so surreal to Hanayo who couldn't help but remember _that_ time, when Maki only looked at her with nothing but disdain and anger. Despite everything that happened since then, she couldn't help the nervousness she felt.

"... Hanayo, is something wrong?" Maki asked then, looking at her worriedly. "You're quieter than normal."

Hanayo snapped her head up, gaping at Maki. "H-huh!? I should be asking you that!"

"W-what?" Maki didn't expect that answer to be fired back at her. "I... I just... um." She looked away, sighing. "I... I guess, yeah."

"... huh?" Hanayo didn't expect to give up so suddenly. "Maki-chan... is... _is_ there something bothering you?"

"... hm." Maki shrugged her shoulders and grunted, a sound that could have meant _anything._

"If... if something's bothering you... then... then, I'm... I can... I can listen if you want." Maki turned to her, and Hanayo's voice trailed lower and lower, nervously mumbling. "If something's bothering you, I can... I can listen! I'm here to help. But that's, um... if you want... a-and if you don't th-then that's... that's okay too! I..."

"... _Hanayo._ " Maki's tone was exasperated. "I got it, thanks."

"... o-oh," Hanayo could only answer, sighing as she realized she had made a fool out of herself.

"I mean!" Maki shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't... I didn't mean to say it like that. I mean, thanks for... um, being here, I... I think."

"N-no! I, um, understand, it's fine."

Just like that, they lapsed into another silence that Hanayo couldn't help but think was awkward. There was something obviously bothering Maki and Hanayo wanted to help but at the same time, she didn't want to prod the other girl. She wanted to wait for Maki to tell her but it looked as if her friend was more content to brood in silence instead. That had to be why Maki didn't tell them they were back yet, and Hanayo had intruded on that. If Maki wanted to be alone, then Hanayo... had to leave-

"Hanayo?"

"Y-y-y-yes?!" she yelped out instead, snapping upright. Maki turned to her, raising an eyebrow. Hanayo cleared her throat, letting out a careful smile. "S-sorry. But, um, yes?"

Maki stared at her, as if studying her. Hanayo fidgeted under that heavy look, glancing away. When Maki spoke again, her voice was soft. "Hanayo... have... have you ever thought about what you want to do?"

"... eh?" Hanayo met Maki's eyes, blinking rapidly. "What I want to do? Like... huh?"

"Like..." Maki pushed her lips together, as if she was debating whether to speak or not. "Like... your... your future. Something like that."

"My... my future?" Hanayo furrowed her brow. "I... I'm not sure, I guess."

"... ah." It was the only thing Maki said before she looked away. Hanayo felt as if her answer disappointed Maki and she struggled to clarify.

"I... I mean, I'm probably... probably not really going to be... a ninja," Hanayo murmured, feeling nothing but uneasiness. "I can keep up with t-the training now and the easy missions but the h-harder ones... I don't think I can do it. I'd probably fail them all." She stared down at her hands, smiling ruefully. "I'm... a disgrace to the Koizumi. I feel like I was born to the wrong family-"

"H-Hanayo!" Maki stood up, facing her with anger. "Don't... don't talk about yourself like that!"

Hanayo kept her gaze down as she spoke her next words. "But it's the t-truth! E-everyone else is just so much better than me, and I can barely do any of the easy things, even when you're all teaching me h-how to be better... I don't e-even have anything special about me—ah!"

Maki reached out abruptly and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her and forcing Hanayo look at her.

"Stop talking about yourself like that! Just because you might not be the same like that rest of us doesn't mean that we're better or you're worse. I mean, I still can't figure out when you sneak up on me," she added with a mumble, coughing awkwardly afterward. "A-anyway, what I'm trying to say is that you're... you're... you have your own talents too, and you shouldn't always get yourself down about the things you're not good at. Maybe... it's just better to concentrate on the things you're good at instead."

Maki's voice was quiet as she continued. "You're... you're better than you think you are."

Hanayo could only listen to Maki's outburst, still stunned at all the things Maki had said about her. "Maki-chan... you... um..."

Maki glanced at her, sighing softly. "Trust me, I know that you're... you're not worthless. I... I mean... I'm always watching you and you're always working so hard, so I know-" Maki trailed off, widening her eyes when she realized what she had revealed. "W-wait, I... did I just..."

Hanayo looked at her confusedly. "You're... you're always watching me?" she asked, stunned at the revelation.

"That!" Maki yelped, shaking her head. "I mean, from back then! I mean, when we were still, um, fighting! I mean, of course I had to! You were supposed to be my enemy and rival and... and! And you... you just!" Maki covered her face, trailing off in a squeak.

Hanayo could do nothing but blink in surprise. What... what was she supposed to think, after an admission like _that_? It was something she never thought she'd hear Maki say, much less be here reassuring Hanayo that the words Hanayo constantly echoed in her own head were wrong.

It seemed surreal, especially when several years ago, Maki herself was telling her the same things. And now, to hear Maki say otherwise, trying to tell her she wasn't worthless...

Hanayo felt something stirring inside of her, a small kindling of a hope she thought would never come to fruition. She wanted to speak but her tongue refused to work with her, not that her mind was.

"Maki-chan," was all she could manage, still too bewildered to say anything. Maki let out a squeak but still continued to hide her face behind her hands. Hanayo almost wanted to laugh. Instead, she slowly reached out. The tip of her fingers brushed Maki's hand-

-and Maki _leaped_ backward, staring at Hanayo as if she had committed a heinous crime.

Hanayo really did laugh this time, the sight too comical for her to _not._ Maki frowned but there was a tiny smile on her face. "I-I'm, sor-sorry," and Hanayo let out another snort, covering her mouth. "It's, you just, looked so funny, and I couldn't-" she couldn't speak, still laughing.

"Yeah, yeah," Maki grumbled, rolling her eyes as she walked back. "I, er, um, didn't... um, mean to... say something like that. At least aloud," she muttered.

Hanayo laughed again, smiling up at her. "I... I didn't mind. Just... thank you, for... for saying all those things." She shyly looked down at the ground. "I feel better about it now."

"... I-I guess that's good then," Maki said, still looking embarrassed. Knowing Maki couldn't see her face, Hanayo smiled widely at herself, indulging herself. After calming herself down, she looked back up, looking at Maki curiously.

"What about you then, Maki-chan?" she asked.

"Hm?"

"U-um, the same thing you asked me. What do you want to do in the future?"

Maki slowly looked at her, as if studying Hanayo for... for something she wasn't sure of. She continued staring and Hanayo couldn't help but fidget under the attention.

"... to be honest, I'm not sure."

"H-huh?!" Hanayo blinked at her, eyes wide. "You... you don't know?! Like... you don't want to be the head of your family?"

"Yes! W-wait, no, I... I mean... I..." Maki groaned in frustration, running a hand through her hair. "I... I'm the heir so of course I have to take over the family but... I... I don't want to be... a ninja."

There were a lot of things that could surprise Hanayo, but none of them held a candle to what Maki had just told her, even in light of everything that had just happened earlier.

"The Nishikino aren't as, well, huge like the Koizumi. I _have_ to be heir because there really isn't anyone else. And we've always been ninjas, that's just how it is. That's... that's why I've been training my whole life. But... I don't think that's what I _want_ to do." Maki sighed deeply.

"If not a ninja, then... what... what _would_ you do?" Hanayo asked quietly. It felt unfair of her ask this of Maki, not when Hanayo had the same problem as well. She wasn't fit to be a ninja but she was born to the main family, and she had never heard of anyone in her family giving up the title of heir to someone else not of the head family. She wanted to ask her mother but the thought of even asking something like _that_ made Hanayo feel like she was disappointing her mother, who had done nothing but encourage her to do her best.

Maki remained in thought, crossing her arms. "Maybe... maybe a doctor?" she spoke quietly, heat rising to her cheeks at the admission.

"A doctor?" The words were further than what Hanayo expected to hear but somehow... they made sense, the more she thought about it. Maki did seem to know a lot about the herbs and plants, and she had always made sure to see to their injuries with lots of cautious advice on how to take care of it. Hanayo looked at her friend, and found Maki had shrank within herself, waiting in anticipation for Hanayo's answer. "I think it suits you!" She nodded excitedly. "You'd be a great doctor!"

"R-really?" Both Maki's expression and voice were hopeful before composing herself into impassiveness. "I-I mean, you're j-just not saying that, r-right?"

Hanayo smiled at her. "Of course not. You're always amazing at everything you do. And doing something like this, helping out others instead... I think it's wonderful."

Maki stared at her, eyes wide with disbelief. "You... y-you really think so?" she asked, her voice soft.

Hanayo nodded with certainty, the most sure she had ever been in her life. "Of course! I... I believe in you! I'll support you all the way!"

"You're... enthusiastic," Maki only said but Hanayo knew it was out of embarrassment, by the way she looked away, twirling her hair. "I-I-I mean, it r-really isn't what I'm s-sure of, t-to be honest, but..." Her face turned red and her next words were rushed and almost inaudible. "It makes me happy to know I have your support." It took a moment for Hanayo to register what she had heard but when she did, Hanayo nodded again, smiling widely.

"Of course, Maki-chan! You're... trying to help me out, and I want to do the same for you too."

"Help... you out?" Maki looked at her strangely. For some reason, Hanayo felt as if Maki seemed conflicted by her words, by the way she suddenly frowned. "I... yeah, I... guess. I mean, it's... the least I can do," she mumbled, suddenly uneasy.

"Maki-chan?" Hanayo asked worriedly, concerned at the way her friend suddenly seemed down.

"No, it's nothing, never mind. I just... um, y-yeah, I just..." Maki sighed but met Hanayo's gaze, giving her a small nod. "U-um, thanks... thanks for listening to me, I-I guess."

Though Hanayo wasn't convinced, all she could do was smile at Maki, feeling as if for the first time, they finally understood each other.

 **-3-**

"Hanayo, is that you?" Her mother called out as soon as she opened the door, returning from being out with Maki and Rin for the day. "Come look at this!"

Her mother had rarely sounded so excited and with curiosity bubbling inside of her, Hanayo went to find her mother. She found her in the guestroom, a letter in her hands. "Mother? What is that?"

Her mother smiled secretively at her. "You won't guess what I just found!"

And Hanayo could do nothing but listen with wide eyes, absolutely bewildered as to what her fate had almost become. This... she _had_ to tell Rin, was all she could think.

"Rin-chan!" she called out excitedly the next day, running even to get to her best friend faster.

"K-Kayo-chin?! What are you so excited for?!" Rin asked with a smile on her face, taking in Hanayo's excitement as well.

"Y-you won't believe what my mother found!"

Hanayo relayed exactly what had happened, leaving out no details. Rin's eyes were just as wide as Hanayo's when she found out as well.

"You're kidding me," was all Rin could say. "I didn't know your family was _that_ old-fashioned!"

"W-well, we _are_... old," Hanayo said. "But to think that even I had something like that! It seems kind of amazing."

"Kayo-chin, would you have gone along with it though?" Rin asked, looking at her thoughtfully. "I mean, probably not but still, if it still existed today, do you think you would have-"

"Hey, sorry I'm late," a voice interrupted. Hanayo and Rin turned to find Maki standing there, disgruntled. "Nico just dumped a whole bunch of errands on me as I was coming."

"That definitely sounds like Nico-chan," Rin said with a snicker. Maki groaned, rolling her eyes.

"... yeah. Anyway, what are you talking about? Did I interrupt anything?"

Hanayo grinned at her. "A-ah, you wouldn't believe what happened yesterday! My mother found a letter and inside..." she paused for dramatic effect, sharing a look with Rin. Maki raised an eyebrow but said nothing, waiting patiently. Hanayo continued, unable to contain her own excitement. "I apparently had an arranged marriage between one of Father's-"

"Hanayo-chan!"

Kotori came up to them in that moment, hand on Hanayo. "The alpacas are loose again!" And just like that, she took off in a run.

"O-oh!" Hanayo chased after Kotori. "S-sorry! I'll try to be quick!"

Rin waved goodbye to her, shouting afterward. "Good luck! Don't let them get near Nico-chan again!" Hanayo turned her head to give them a nervous smile before running away.

Rin turned back—and found Maki staring at the spot where Hanayo was at. "Hanayo... has an arranged marriage?" Maki asked slowly, narrowing her eyes as she glanced over at Rin.

"No she doesn-" and Rin paused, carefully studying Maki. The other girl looked completely displeased, the corners of her mouth downward. The way she looked right now reminded Rin of years before, of when Maki used to give Hanayo that same look. And now...

It made Rin want to laugh at how much things had really changed. And _this_ was something Rin could use to tease Maki endlessly about.

Rin shrugged her shoulders, hoping she didn't look too obvious. "Kayo-chin was just about to tell me too when you came, so Rin doesn't know either, nya!"

"Is... that so." Maki looked as if she didn't trust Rin but left it, crossing her arms. "Hanayo..." she mumbled, a dark expression on her face. Rin could only hope that nothing would come out of this. She'd tell the truth if Maki got any funny ideas.

When Hanayo finished rounding up the alpacas, it was already nighttime. Knowing that Rin and Maki had already given up waiting for her, she went home instead.

She knew, as she stepped inside the house, that tonight was different.

"Hanayo, come here!" Her mother called out. Hanayo immediately ran over to where her mother was, in the guest room. Her mother smiled at her, along with unfamiliar people Hanayo had never seen in her life. She almost yelped before remembering her manners, bowing to them in greeting. "Hanayo, this is your father's old friend! Why don't you come over and say hi? They even have a child your age too."

From the other end of the table opposite from Hanayo, was a boy, who shyly smiled at her. Hanayo slowly nodded, still trying to wrap her mind around all the new guests. There was something... strange, something off she was feeling, and she was trying to figure out what was bothering her...

And it hit her that since she was chasing the alpacas all day, she was dirty, and this meant how she looked right now, full of grime and smudges on her kimono, was their first impression of her.

"A-ah! U-um, I'm sorry, I'm a little dirty right now and I... I-I, um—excuse me!" and she rushed off but not before bowing deeply in apology.

Later, Hanayo had learned that they were the Fujishiros. Hanayo had recognized the name from her father, when he told her stories of when he was young and got lost at sea and it was the elder Fujishiro who had saved him. Then they had lost contact because of her father traveling until he came to the village and married her mother and in a twist of fate, Fujishiro had chanced on the village and ran into her father. They were coming back from visiting their relatives and only meant to take a quick stop to restock on supplies before heading out again before her father ran into them. Of course, her father had invited them to stay, and now here they were.

Somehow, Hanayo wasn't very surprised to learn later on that she had to show their son around the village. Their parents were busy catching up, and Hanayo thought she was imagining it but her father's friends seemed intent on pushing him out with her. She hoped she was imagining it.

Now, they stood outside, wandering aimlessly as Hanayo thought about where to take him. For a village full of ninjas, there really... wasn't a lot remarkable about it, if Hanayo had to be honest. Not everyone was a ninja, as evidenced by the Kousakas being a family that focused on making desserts (and things that exploded, but that was a different story) and including several more families of her other friends, but... there really wasn't much they had.

"Fujishiro-san, is there any place you'd like to see?" Hanayo asked, gesturing all around. "Oh! We have alpacas! Ah... but maybe Kotori-chan's busy today... maybe not..." She trailed off, wondering what to even do.

"Koizumi-san, you don't have to... um, show me anything special. We can just walk around and you can point out things?" he offered, smiling politely at her. "My family will be here for a few days so there isn't... that much of a rush."

"Oh... I... I guess we can do that." Hanayo gestured to the road. "U-um, I guess, we can go down here first?" Fujishiro nodded his agreement, and they went off. Hanayo pointed out the houses of her neighbors and friends, explaining what each family did.

"Over there are the, u-um, Sonoda, and they do traditional dancing-"

"Kayo-chin!"

Hanayo stopped speaking, looking up to find Rin waving to her. "R-Rin-chan!" she shouted, waving back.

"Kayo-chin! Are you busy—eh?" Rin blinked, turning to look at the boy behind her. "Nya?"

"Ah, this is... um." Hanayo turned to him, smiling politely as she introduced him. "One of my father's old friends arrived yesterday, and this is... um, their youngest son. I-I'm supposed to show him around right now."

Rin stared at her incredulously for some reason, eyes moving back and forth between them. Then she looked as if she wanted to laugh, glancing away afterward as if she had a secret.

"Rin... has to do some damage control," she said mysteriously, spinning around. "Good luck, Kayo-chin!" she called out as she took off in a running start, leaping onto the nearest house.

"R-Rin-chan!? What do you—a-ah, she's always too fast for me..." Hanayo sighed, whimpering quietly.

"You... you guys really _are_ ninja," Fujishiro said, quietly awed. "My family are all merchants and even if we do hire ninjas for help, well... I've never actually gotten to see one in action."

"R-really? This... this is pretty normal?" Hanayo said, wondering if this really did seem strange to someone like him. This was what she had grown up with, and she had no doubt to believe she would see this for the rest of her life.

"It's... it's so _cool_ ," he said in an amazed whisper. He turned to her, excited now. "Does that mean you can do that too? What else can you do? Is there-"

Hanayo waved her hands, trying to keep up with the steady barrage of questions but before she even realized, the whole day was gone and all she had done was talk about what they normally did in the village. Despite not doing very much, Hanayo felt drained of energy. It wasn't very often that they had guests over and though Hanayo was willing to entertain, there was only so much... attention she could withstand.

The next two days were almost largely the same, with Fujishiro asking about what their village did. There was a minor incident with one of Kotori's alpacas, hopping down the road and excited to see Hanayo until it saw Fujishiro and without any warning, spat at him. Kotori came running not long after and both Hanayo and her apologized profusely while he reassured them it was fine, awkwardly laughing with spit on his face.

The oddest thing though, had to be how Hanayo couldn't quite shake the feeling that they were being watched. When she tried to look all around though, she couldn't see anyone though she could have sworn she heard some sort of faint yelling in the distance that she sounded suspiciously like Rin.

… maybe the stress of having guests over was starting to get to Hanayo more than she thought. It certainly wasn't helping that Hanayo had most certainly picked up what her father's friend were hoping for, by pushing their son and her out together. He was friendly and polite, Hanayo couldn't deny that. He listened attentively when she talked, especially when she described what they did in the village. His family also had considerable wealth that could still be passed onto even him, the youngest of four siblings. It would have been a good match, for the both of them.

But there was only one problem, as Hanayo let her thoughts tread into dangerous territory, of something she only allowed herself to dream of.

When Hanayo and her mother were both alone in the kitchen, working on dinner for the guests, Hanayo finally gathered her courage and spoke up. "M-Mother, u-um, did... were... were you, u-um, expecting me and..." and she trailed off, her courage leaving her just as quickly as it came. She glanced behind her, to where her Father and their guests were, hoping for her mother to get the hint.

"Ah," her mother had only said, nodding with a smile. Though Hanayo had always listened to her parents, her heart fell at the confirmation. She was silent now, uneasiness building inside of her.

"Hanayo," Her mother said as she laid a hand on top of her head, smoothing back her hair. Hanayo looked up at her questioningly. "Your cooking's getting a lot better! At this rate, you'll be even better than me! When I was your age, I actually barely knew how to cook. Your grandpa insisted on making me take as many missions and assignments as I could, to show up the Nishikino. And if it it wasn't that, it was always training."

"H-huh?! Really?" Hanayo didn't know about this. Her mother laughed, smiling as she recalled the memories.

"Your grandfather was very insistent on it though I didn't care for it. Nishikino felt the same way as me. Maybe that's why Maki-chan's grandfather tried really hard with her. Your grandfather would have probably tried the same with you, if he were still around."

Hanayo didn't know what to say, staring at her mother as if she had suddenly learned too many new things at once.

"Hanayo," her mother said then, looking at her, "you should do what makes you happy." She leaned down, pressing a kiss to Hanayo's forehead. Hanayo only nodded in her confusion, wondering what had prompted her mother to say those things. "Good, now..." Her mother turned back to the kitchen counter and put a large bowl of rice in her hands. "It's time for dinner."

Any stray thoughts were instantly wiped from her mind by the scent of freshly cooked white rice, and she didn't think about it until the next day. She stood outside, just a little way off from her house, hand on her chin as she thought to herself.

"Koizumi-san!"

Hanayo yelped at being interrupted and quickly turned around, finding Fujishiro coming toward her. Hanayo thought he was out with his parents but maybe not...

"Y-yes?" she asked.

"You said that you've also trained in the ways of the ninja, right? I mean, you're one of the legendary Koizumi!" he asked, a sparkle in his eyes. Hanayo couldn't help but freeze, realizing where this had to be going now. "Can you demonstrate some abilities?! You probably have some sort of super ability!"

"A-ah, that's... um..." Hanayo looked away, wondering how she could politely burst his bubble. "I... I'm not..."

Thankfully, Hanayo was saved from answering, when she realized there was someone familiar walking up next to them.

Except it wasn't really walking, now that Hanayo realized, but more like storming up to them, with an dark look in those violet eyes.

The greeting Hanayo was about to say died down when Maki only marched up to them and silently stood there, eyes trained entirely on the boy next to her.

"Who... are _you?_ " Maki asked in a flat voice, the flattest Hanayo had ever heard from her.

Though Maki was shorter than the boy, she somehow managed to look as if she was towering over him, with her dark glare. He shrank back, eyes wide. He opened his mouth to answer but looked over to Hanayo, panic in his eyes.

"U-um!" Hanayo quickly said. Maki's eyes met hers and Hanayo nearly yelped at the intense look she had. "M-Maki-chan, t-this is, um, e-er-"

Why... why did Hanayo feel so nervous introducing him to Maki? It was impolite _not_ to, but she felt as if there was something holding her back at the same time. What... what was it? This apprehensive feeling she had? Maki... she... why-

"M-Maki-chan! Why did you run off?! We weren't-gah!"

Hanayo was never more relieved to see her best friend until now, except Rin let out a choked sound, eyes darting back and forth between Maki and Hanayo in horror. "K-K-Kayo-chin! What a, er, surprise to see you here too! Ahaha..." Rin was looking at her apologetically though for what, Hanayo wasn't sure.

"Is this why you kept insisting on making me train with you and making me run all day," Maki suddenly said, whirling around to face Rin with narrowed eyes. She glanced back at Hanayo before looking at the now terrified boy.

"Are _you_ the one then?" she asked, her voice low and threateningly. "If you think that I'll let you take away-"

"Nishikino! Mission time!" And before even Hanayo knew what was going on, Nico appeared next to them in the blink of an eye and in another blink, was dragging Maki off.

"N-Nico!? What the hell, didn't you just make me do something for you yesterday!?"

"Got another job up just now and we need your horse. Come on!"

"Dammit, let go of me—Nico!"

Rin let out a sigh of relief though Hanayo felt anything but, still entirely confused as to what had even happened in the past few moments. "Whew! That's one crisis stopped."

"R-Rin-chan! What's going on?' Hanayo looked over to where Nico and Maki had disappeared off to with a worried expression. "Is there something with Maki-chan?"

"Um!" Rin looked over at her, laughing nervously. "Rin... Rin kind of teased Maki-chan a little too much and um... you'll... you'll have to ask Maki-chan herself." She let out another nervous laugh, speaking under her breath, too low for Hanayo hear. "And she might really kill me this time if I do tell you."

"Ask... Maki-chan?" Hanayo whispered, unsure of why the thought of doing that was making her feel uneasy.

It wasn't as if she had many chances anyway, not when Nico and Maki returned a day later. Nico's greeting was the usual but Maki... Maki only nodded at her before dismissing herself suddenly, already leaping off before Hanayo could speak. Hanayo couldn't help but think she looked more than subdued, like the other time Hanayo had found her in the woods.

"Give her a few days," Nico said with a frown, sighing and muttering her breath but Hanayo swore she could something about Maki being an idiot.

Hanayo had no choice but to take Nico's advice, especially considering she didn't even get to _see_ Maki. Rin and Nico came by sometimes, to chat with Hanayo and Fujishiro, but Maki was still no where to be seen. It hurt a little, knowing that Maki was avoiding her.

"It's... complicated, nya," Rin had said when Hanayo asked. "To be honest, Maki-chan's probably just overthinking things, you know how she is."

"Y-yeah..." Hanayo could only say, feeling the worry inside of her increase. If there was something bothering Maki, Hanayo wanted to help. But Maki looked like she was avoiding her, for whatever reason. And with Hanayo busy trying to entertain her father's friend and his family, she didn't have many chances to be able to sneak away and talk to Maki as well.

So it surprised her then, when Maki suddenly showed up in front of her.

"Uh," she only said, blinking at her. Hanayo blinked back at her, completely caught by surprise. They were both in the woods right now, with Hanayo out here to forage for seeds. She had thought about trying to find Maki but she didn't even know where to start, and Rin was too busy today to help her. So... why was Maki out here though?

"Are... are you alone?" Maki asked, glancing all around them. "That... that boy isn't here is he?"

"N-no, I'm here alone," Hanayo answered with a shake of her head.

"... good," Maki said though Hanayo wasn't sure why. But maybe it was, because this was the first time either of them were alone. Maki said nothing else but she seemed oddly alert, as if waiting for something to suddenly spring on them. If Maki wasn't going to say anything though...

"Maki-chan," Hanayo started, trying not to yelp when Maki immediately turned to her, "um... u-um, is there anything... anything wrong lately? It... it feels like you've been avoiding... er, me..."

"No I haven't," Maki immediately said, crossing her arms with a huff. "I know you're busy so I don't want to bother you."

"Oh..." Hanayo fell silent, wondering what to even say now. If Maki felt that way, then... was she imagining it? The way Maki was right now, she seemed... agitated, as if restless. Hanayo could sense her dark mood from where she was but maybe there was something else bothering her, and it was Hanayo's fault for presuming it had to do with her. "I... I'm sorry for bothering you then," she mumbled, turning around to leave.

"W-wait, no." Hanayo paused, turning her head to look behind her. Maki's hand was outstretched toward her and the brooding look was gone from her face, replaced by a apologetic one. "S-sorry, I... I didn't mean to say that."

At hearing Maki's words, Hanayo slowly turned back around, facing the other girl now. "Maki-chan?" Her friend had a strained look on her face, as if there was something she wanted to say but couldn't.

"H-Hanayo, are... are you..." Maki let out a sigh, growling under her breath.

"Maki-chan? Are you okay? Is there something wrong?" Hanayo rushed forward but stopped herself before reaching Maki, carefully keeping her distance away. The way she felt right now, Maki seemed like a cornered animal, and Hanayo had dealt with more than enough to know that coming close would provoke a reaction that neither of them would be prepared for. "Maki-chan," Hanayo tried again in a soft voice, pleading with her.

It seemed to do the trick, except Maki clenched her fists and glared to the side, angrily muttering. "I just! I don't want you to be in an arranged marriage! How dare someone else think they could just take you away? I don't like it! I'd rather have you marry me than to be with some stranger who just thinks you only look pretty and ignore every part of you that's also wonderful and-"

Maki continued to rant on but Hanayo could hear no more, gaping incredulously at Maki. Was... was that...

"... eh?" Maki stopped speaking now, wondering why something felt off. She looked at Hanayo, who did nothing but continue to stare at her with wide eyes, hand on her mouth. "What... what did I just say? H-huh?" And she gasped, staring at Hanayo in horror. "W-wait... did I just... again? I just..." she trailed off, gaping at Hanayo, her face as red as her hair.

"Maki-chan... you..." Hanayo couldn't finish, feeling her face heating up.

Hanayo didn't even know what to think. Out of everything that had happened so far, this was the one thing she never thought would have been possible. She thought Maki was done surprising her but she was still full of unexpected things. Especially this... _especially_ this _..._

Maki spun around, hiding her face from view. "Just, just ignore what I said! P-pretend you didn't hear that!" And she ran off, disappearing into the trees.

Hanayo startled, staring at where the other girl used to be. She wanted to run after her but her feet felt heavy, as if rooted to the ground. She was still trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened, everything Maki said, and how she reacted... it.. it couldn't be, could it?

Maki's recent words echoed in her mind though. Pretend Hanayo didn't hear that?

How could Hanayo follow such a ridiculous request?

She stepped forward, her body stiff. She took another step, gulping as she thought about what she was about to do. Hanayo... she felt like if she listened to Maki and left now, she would be full of regret. She couldn't deny that it was the first instinct she wanted to do though, to run away and try to pretend nothing had happened. The words her mother spoke to her suddenly came to her mind though, the words Hanayo had also been trying to ponder over. "What makes me happy..." As if the words themselves gave her strength, she nodded and took off in a sprint, speeding through the woods.

It helped that Hanayo was intimately familiar with the woods, but Maki also was as well, and... well, Maki was fast too, and she was undoubtedly way ahead of Hanayo. She had a lot of work to do in catching up, if she could-

Hanayo nearly yelped as she quickly grabbed onto the nearby tree to brake herself, realizing Maki was actually on the ground just a little ahead of her, trying to pick herself back up. "Stupid root, I swear it came out of no where," she muttered as she righted herself, brushing the dirt off her clothes. Hanayo wanted to call out to her but she wasn't sure if Maki would bolt. At this moment, Hanayo didn't want to take chances, as she readied herself again and dashed forward.

"Maki-chan!"

The shout was the only warning Maki had before Hanayo barreled into her. They tumbled onto the ground, with Maki on the bottom and Hanayo on top. The both of them groaned at the same time, recovering from their fall.

Hanayo looked up, her vision swimming. Maki slowly looked over at her, eyes unfocused but before long, she broke out of her dazed state, blinking rapidly, her eyes meeting Hanayo's.

They both froze, realizing how close they were next to each other, how _close_ their faces were. If Hanayo leaned a little further, she could... she... they'd...

Maki's face came into focus, and Hanayo could feel the heat rolling off of her. It made Hanayo squeak, suddenly remembering where she was and pulled away, the both of them unable to meet each other's eyes.

"U-um!"

"Er-"

And they both froze again, realizing they spoke at the same time. Hanayo looked downward-

"O-oh!" Embarrassed once more, she quickly scrambled off of Maki, sitting on the ground next to her. "S-sorry! I'm sorry!" she squeaked.

"H-huh?" Maki blinked down at herself. "O-oh, it's... um, it's okay." She slowly sat up, sighing as she put a hand on her face.

"Maki-chan?" Hanayo asked worriedly.

"Why did you chase after me? I... how am I supposed to..."

"B-because!" Hanayo pushed her hands together, fingers playing with each other as she mumbled. "I... I... f-feel... the, u-um, same... I-I mean! I'm not jealous or a-anything but I also! I also l-l-l-" She shut her eyes and forced the words out of her mouth. "I l-l-like! You... too! I like you too!"

Hanayo sucked in a breath, keeping her eyes shut tightly. She was... she was too scared to even look at Maki right now. If she had understood what Maki had said earlier though, then that meant, her feelings... their feelings... that meant... they felt the same, right? The silence seemed to stretch for too long.

" _Why_?" Maki asked, her voice choked. Hanayo snapped opened her eyes in confusion, not expecting that to be Maki's answer. Maki looked away from her, clenching her fists. "I... I treated you so badly and... I... you..."

"That's..." Hanayo shook her head. "That's all in the past though-"

"You deserve someone better than me!" Maki interrupted in a shout. Hanayo took a step back from surprise, eyes wide. It was as if the gates opened because the words began to rush out of Maki. "I already made you cry once and I... I can't trust myself to not make you sad and you deserve to be with someone much more wonderful, someone who'll give you everything you deserve, someone who won't make you cry ever, and that someone isn't... it isn't... that person isn't me!"

Hanayo swallowed, trying to work past the knot in her throat. Maki looked vulnerable and weak, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. She was a far cry from the awkward yet proud girl Hanayo was used to seeing. Did Maki feel like this the whole time? She didn't realize Maki had felt _this_ guilty about everything that had happened.

Hanayo stepped closer to Maki, feeling a pang inside of her as each footstep made Maki flinch. Even now, as they stood in front of each other, Maki still refused to look at her, her eyes closed tightly. "Maki-chan," Hanayo tried, hands hovering with uncertainty, fighting against the urge to reach out.

"I'm sorry, I didn't... I didn't mean to say all of that," Maki whispered. "You... you weren't supposed to know. I don't... I don't deserve anything—a-a-ah!? H-Hanayo!?"

Hanayo could take no more of Maki's words. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Maki, clinging to her tightly.

"Maki-chan, don't talk about yourself like that!" Hanayo let out a sob, and Maki froze at the sound. "Y-you're different now! You're not that same person! We've grown up and changed! So... so p-please... please don't... don't say things like that. You're kinder than you think you are! I mean, that's why you feel like this, isn't it?" Hanayo shook her head, trying to keep her voice from shaking, holding back her tears. "Even though it's for someone like me, if you weren't kind in the first place, you wouldn't be feeling so guilty, even though you don't have to!"

"H-huh!? What do you mean someone like you!?" Maki put her hands on Hanayo's shoulders and pulled her back. "Hanayo, I told you, don't talk about yourself like that! You're a lot better than you think you are-"

"Then what about you?!" Hanayo cried out.

"Hah!? What about me?!"

"I'm not allowed to talk like this about myself, then what about you?!"

Maki looked taken aback, shaking her head. "That's! That's different! You didn't do anything wrong! I was the one who bullied you so much, and I'm probably the reason why you don't have a lot of confidence in the first place! So I have to make up for it!"

Hanayo stilled, mulling over Maki's words as she slowly met Maki's gaze. "Then... the only... only reason you say all those things is because you... you don't want me to feel bad? Because you feel like... you have to make it up to me? Not because... not..."

Maki blinked at her, furrowing her brow in confusion. "H-huh?! What? Wait, what... what were we talking about I... t-the reason I say all those things? It's... it's because I care about you!"

Hanayo slowly pulled away, out of Maki's hands. "I... n-never mind, I... think I get it now." She smiled. "Thank you, Maki-chan."

Maki froze at the sight, staring at her. Hanayo's smile... it felt off for some reason. Hanayo always smiled at her and Maki had learned the differences between each of them. The smile Hanayo had on... it... it wasn't happy. It was... disappointment? Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. She tried to recall what they had been talking about but past the fierce rush of emotions from their outbursts, Maki wasn't even sure anymore.

Maybe they had lost each other at some point, and Hanayo was understanding something different than what Maki was trying to tell her. That had to be what happened, given how Hanayo had suddenly pulled back. Where... where had Maki gone wrong? She tried to think but her thoughts were far too jumbled to make sense of right now. She had revealed far too much, said things that Hanayo wasn't meant to hear.

Had... had she messed things up again? Then that meant she had to fix it. But what was she supposed to fix if she wasn't even sure what was going on in the first place?! She frantically tried to recall everything that had happened: her jealousy making her reveal her feelings, running away, Hanayo chasing after her and also admitting her feelings, and then Maki revealing even more things she wanted to keep buried-

Ah.

Even despite everything, Hanayo was still giving her a chance, and Maki wanted to take it.

"Hanayo, I..." She swallowed before reaching forward, putting her hands on Hanayo's shoulders once more. "Hanayo, I..." She struggled, trying to push back her embarrassment to speak the words she needed to say in this moment. The more she hesitated, the harder it was to push down the part of her that kept telling her she didn't deserve any of this.

Hanayo looked up at her questioningly. Maki couldn't speak, not even when she opened her mouth and tried to force herself. Nothing came out. Hanayo's face fell slightly, and Maki realized she had to _do_ something. She looked down at Hanayo, at her face, tracing over those beautiful features.

Maki slowly leaned forward. She felt Hanayo tense up under her hands but paid it no heed, still inching forward. Hanayo snapped her eyes shut, unable to keep herself together for the inevitable moment.

She felt a brush on her forehead, different than where she expected.

"... eh?" Hanayo opened her eyes, blinking in confusion. Maki's hands were still on her but she was turned away, face dangerously red. "M-Maki-chan?"

"T-that's! It's, u-um, the... the best that I can do!" she squeaked, shaking her head.

"The... the best you can do?" Hanayo repeated, unsure of what was going on. She slowly raised her hand, touching her forehead, the same exact spot.

"B-because! I care for you! A lot! A-as... as a friend and e-even, uh, more... more than friend!" She inhaled sharply, and Hanayo thought she looked oddly triumphant. "T-there! I said it!"

"Maki-chan?"

"I... I care about you, even... more than... a fr-friend. I... I like you? Uh, a lot? Am... am I even saying it right this time?" Maki broke off with a frown, grumbling under her breath.

"U-um... th-then... does... does that mean..." She couldn't help but blurt out her next words. "Do you want to k-kiss me!?"

Maki let out a choked sound, staring at Hanayo. "I-I-I-I! Y-yes! I mean, wait, no! Ah, shit, I mean, yes! Yes? I-I mean I've thought about it sometimes and you-" She shut her mouth abruptly, realizing exactly what she saying in that moment.

Maki looked away just as Hanayo hid her face in her hands. This had to be the warmest she had ever felt her cheeks, Hanayo couldn't help but think in utter embarrassment. Even from behind her hands, Hanayo swore Maki would be able to feel the heat coming off from her face. They said nothing for several minutes, the both of them staring at the ground. Maki's hands were still tight on her shoulders although it wasn't rough.

Hanayo slowly spread her fingers apart and peeked up at Maki, finding the other girl with an entirely red face that matched both her own hair and Hanayo. "U-um, then... M-Maki-chan..." She slowly looked up at the other girl, smiling hesitantly. "That's... that's what you're supposed to say. I think."

"... oh." Maki huffed though she still looked away from Hanayo. "That's... that's what I meant to say in the first place! How the heck did you misunderstand me?"

Hanayo looked away, mumbling. "B-because I didn't think... that you would feel the same way! Y-you made it seem like you were only doing this because of... of what happened..."

"... I should be the one saying that," Maki muttered, sighing deeply. "A-and.. it's um, n-not... not completely... it's... um!" She coughed into her hand. "A-anyway! What... what are you going to do with your, er, arranged marriage then?"

Hanayo blinked, looking up at Maki with complete confusion. "Huh? What?"

"Your arranged marriage!" Maki said again, grimacing. She looked away, scowling. "Rin... that's what she said, and then Nico just kept calling me stupid, seriously, who the hell does she think she is? She said you weren't but... but, I..." she trailed off with a frustrated groan. "I don't know what's right."

"Oh." Hanayo wondered if Maki would get mad. "I'm, um, not in an arranged marriage."

Maki snapped her head at her, gawking. "W-wait, what?! Then... what about that letter you said your mother found?!"

Hanayo shook her head. "That... it was an old letter in our storage house and, er, it _was_ a marriage proposal between me and a-another family, but my family didn't go through with it, and the other family already found another marriage candidate for their son anyway."

"... what?" Maki gaped at her. "What?! Then... then what about that family staying at your house?!"

"That's, um, my father's old friend back in the day. Completely unrelated to the letter! They came to visit because they happened to be coming this way on their way back from a relative's place further south of our village."

"They're... they're _not_ here for... for an arranged marriage?" Maki said slowly, staring at Hanayo with a growing mixture of both relief and awe.

"U-um... I... I think they were hoping for one but my parents didn't give them any sort of definite answer... and I... I don't... think I would have wanted to anyway." She rambled on, unable to stop speaking. "I-I mean! The Fujishiros are nice, and their son is also very, um, kind, if a little too excited about ninjas, but... b-but..." Hanayo felt her whole face flame and she wouldn't have been very surprised if her whole body was also just as red, as she mumbled her next words. "H-he... h-he, u-um, isn't... he isn't you."

She heard Maki take in a sharp breath. She wanted to look but she was too embarrassed by her own words, keeping her eyes away from Maki instead. Hanayo didn't think she would ever be able to admit her feelings aloud. There was relief pooling in her but at the same time, the extreme embarrassment she felt right now outweighed that relief.

When Maki only stepped forward and took her in her arms, Hanayo could only let out a sharp squeak of surprise, hands fumbling as she clutched at Maki's sleeves. "M-M-Maki-chan?"

"Are you kidding me, I got jealous over _nothing?_ I swear, I'm going to get Rin back for this. _"_ Hanayo could almost feel the scowl forming on Maki's face, as close as she was. She tried to pull back, to look up at Maki, but Maki's arms were too tight and Hanayo had no choice but to lean against her.

Hanayo still wasn't too sure what was going on, but Maki was hugging her, and that was more than good enough for her.

 **-4-**

"Oh, I finished half of my garden the other day while you were gone."

"Hm? Is that so?"

Their voices were quiet, as if trying to keep from disturbing the tentative peace around them. The both of them sat next to each other but faced different directions, the both of them still too embarrassed to even look at each other. Hanayo glanced down at her hand, where Maki's fingers were splayed on top.

"U-um, yeah. Rin-chan was able to help me most of the time."

"... ah. Sorry I wasn't there to help."

"I-it's fine! You had that mission and... um... I still have the other half, you can help me with that. B-but only if you're n-not busy, of course."

Maki hummed a noise of agreement, shifting her fingers slightly. Hanayo felt every motion, every brush going over the back of her hand. She tried not to pull away from the feathery sensations.

Hanayo distracted herself by looking all around. This was around the area that she used to sneaked to, to listen to Maki sing. It was only several years ago but it felt like so long already. She wondered if Maki realized, or even remembered that event, at least in comparison to everything that had happened afterward. There was something that had always bothered and though she wanted to ask, maybe... maybe it was too personal now.

"Hanayo, is there something wrong?"

Hanayo yelped. "N-nothing's wrong! Why are you asking?"

"... is that supposed to be convincing?" Maki glanced behind her but Hanayo missed her look, too busy keeping herself from staring forward so Maki couldn't look at her embarrassment. "I mean, you just sort of got really tense all of a sudden. Something up?"

"... n-no, it's fine." She shook her head.

"Hanayo." And she yelped again when Maki's face was next to her. Maki studied her, brow furrowed. "Really, you're not very convincing. There's something bothering you."

"U-um... I... can..." but Hanayo shook her head instead. "N-no, it's-"

"Hanayo," Maki interrupted with a sigh, "what is it? Just tell me."

"Can... um..." Hanayo wondered why _this_ seemed even harder than when they were confessing their feelings to each other. Maki opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something but shut it, looking at Hanayo expectantly with a raised brow.

" _Hanayo,_ " Maki said again, exasperated now. "Really, what is it? You make it sound like I'm going to get mad." She shifted around and now they sat side by side, almost close enough for their legs to touch. Hanayo tried not to think about how _even_ closer Maki was now, trying to come up with an excuse.

Maki slowly reached out, carefully laying her hand on Hanayo's shoulder. Their faces turned red at the contact but Maki kept her hand on, softly rolling her fingers in a coaxing manner. "T-tell me, I mean, I... I-I'm not going to g-get mad or whatever," she stammered out.

Hanayo glanced down at the hand on her shoulder, and risked taking a chance at Maki's face. Though Maki's face was pink, she was staring at Hanayo, silently pleading with her. Hanayo took a deep breath and steeled herself for what was to come.

"Um... Maki-chan... would... would you mind if... if I asked you to sing?" she asked softly.

Maki's hand tensed up, squeezing down slightly. "My... my singing?" Maki said slowly, as if she was in a daze.

"Y-yeah!" Hanayo pushed ahead, knowing it was too late to take back her words now. "I-I know it's been a while but I want to hear you... um, sing."

Maki looked at her strangely, frowning. "It's... it's been a while? But... I... didn't... didn't you hate my singing? That's... that's why... you..."

"N-no!" Hanayo shook her head. "I... I love your singing! I..." She took a deep breath, ready to reveal the secret she kept for so long. "I... I did hear you singing before. Before... you used to come out to this same spot to sing, and I used to sneak around every time to try to listen to you!" She smiled as she relived the memories. "Your singing was always so beautiful and amazing, I... there were times I wished I could listen to it forever... and..." Hanayo's voice trailed off as she continued, looking down. "But then you... you stopped... and... and..."

"That... I..." Maki's hand slid off of her shoulder and she cast her eyes downward. "You... you really felt like that? Really?" She closed her eyes tightly. "You... you really were speaking the truth then? And... and I just..." Her voice wavered as she spoke and Hanayo wanted nothing more than to gather her in her arms, especially when her face was full of guilt and remorse. "I'm so sorry for how I treated you back then, I was so stupid and I shouldn't have done any of that. I'm not very proud of how I acted back then." She turned away, unable to face her.

Hanayo slowly reached out, gently taking Maki's hand. smiling up at her. "It's fine, it's all in the past now." The familiar words made Maki suck in a breath and before she realized, she was talking once more, her voice still shaky.

"Someone... someone from my clan... they... they mentioned something about my singing and how it would affect my abilities as heir and I _know_ it was only a passing comment but... but...!" Maki clenched her fists tightly. "I couldn't get it out of my mind. I... I was so angry. And I ended up taking it out on you. And... then... my grandfather, he just kept... telling me that I had to be better than you... I know it sounds like an excuse and I won't expect you to forgive me for it-"

"Maki-chan." At the sound of her name, she stopped, looking up. Hanayo cradled her hand, rubbing circles on it. "It's... it's in the past," she repeated again. "You're here right now, aren't you? And, um, if you... if you were still the same way, Nico-chan and Rin-chan probably wouldn't even let you hang around."

"They'd like any excuse to put me in my place, true," Maki couldn't help but agree too, smiling wryly.

"S-so... it's... it's okay now, Maki-chan," Hanayo murmured, patting her hand. "It's... it's okay now."

Maki looked down at their hands, still full of uncertainty. She remained silent, carefully brushing Hanayo's hand with her fingers, holding her gently as if she was afraid to break her.

"Maki-chan?"

"I... I know it's in the past but... it'll take me a while to get used to it. I always thought you would hate me for it, but then you just... kept trying to talk to me, trying to be my friend, and I... I didn't know what to think. I thought you were trying to get me to lower my guard so you could humiliate me with Rin and Nico later but you... you never did, and always tried to defend me even when they didn't trust me." She sighed deeply. Before Hanayo could speak, Maki caught her gaze, squeezing her hand. "I... I just... um." She looked away, coughing into her hand. "I... it's... it's what I l-like the most about y-you, y-your, er, u-um... um, k-kindness," she mumbled out.

Hanayo gaped at her, unable to believe what she was hearing. Maki slapped her face, growling under her breath. "Gah! What the hell is wrong with me today, I just keep... blabbing out things..."

"I... I don't mind," Hanayo said lightly, trying to smile at her. Maki gave her a look out of the corner of her eye.

"I hope not, since this is all about you," she muttered. Despite the tension in the air, Hanayo giggled. And soon, even Maki was cracking a tiny smile.

"Anyway..." Maki raised her other hand, fingers tapping against her throat. "I... I haven't sang since I was little though, so my voice might... m-might not be... um... good right now."

Hanayo wanted to giggle at how bashful Maki suddenly seemed to be but she smiled instead, running her thumb over the back of Maki's hand in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. "I think you'll still sound beautiful."

"Just... just let me..." Maki cleared her throat and let a sound. She continued for several more seconds before quieting down, clearing her throat. "U-um, okay. Is there... anything you want to hear?"

"A song?" Hanayo thought to herself. "There was that one song you used to sing a lot. I think it was sort of fast but it sounded... sounded happy? U-um, is... is that making sense?"

"A song I used to sing a lot... oh!" Maki nodded. "Y-yeah, I know which one you're talking about now. It's... it's one of my favorite songs too. Yeah, I'll... um, I'll sing it... f-for you then." She squeezed down on Hanayo's hand and took a deep breath. There was a brief moment of silence, and then Maki's voice filled the air.

It was unfamiliar and Hanayo guessed that this was the very beginning, the part that she never got to hear because she had always arrived late, too afraid of being caught. Soon though, the tempo picked up, and Hanayo could hear the familiar melody once more. Maki's hand gripped her hand tighter as she let her voice ring through the woods as it once used to.

Hanayo couldn't help but lean against Maki as she listened to the song that had entranced her the first time mesmerize her again. She wanted to close her eyes, to fully let herself sway to the wonderful music, but she sneaked a glance up at Maki-

No, she realized in that moment, it was the beautiful smile of the girl who was singing to her heart's content that had captured Hanayo more.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hanayo-chan! Up so early?"

She looked up just as the snouts hit her leg. Two dogs with red fur sniffed at her, tails wagging as they sat down in front of her as if waiting. "Ah... I don't have any treats right now, sorry," Hanayo said with an apologetic smile, reaching down to pet them on the head. They each gave her hand a lick before running back to where their master was.

"H-hey! Who said you two could run off?" Honoka scolded though she had a light smile on her face. She looked back at Hanayo, waving. "Hanayo-chan, sorry about that!"

"I-it's fine!" Hanayo said with a shake of her head. Honoka walked over to her, her dogs obediently following her every step by her side. She opened her mouth to speak before her nose wrinkled and she sneezed, thankfully off to the side.

"Whew! E-excuse me," Honoka said with a sheepish laugh. "It's a little chilly this morning. Are you warm? It's terrible being sick around this time!"

"I-I'm okay," Hanayo answered with a smile. "I'm nice and warm. Are you sure you are though? You look-"

"Honoka, did you not wear enough again?!" A loud shout made the both of them freeze up. In the next instant, Umi was by their side, a frown on her face. "Seriously, it's going to be chilly and you still..." she broke off with a sigh, taking off one of her many coats and throwing it over Honoka.

"Wha-oh!" Honoka grinned, pulling the coat tighter around herself. "Thanks, Umi-chan, but I swear I didn't realize it was going to be _this_ cold!"

"You should always be ready for the weather. I know winter's already ending but it'll still be cold for a few more weeks before it warms up." Umi let out a sigh before turning to Hanayo. "Ah, Hanayo, I didn't see you there, good morning."

"G-good morning, Umi-chan!"

Before they could speak any more, there was another voice calling for them.

"Honoka-chan, Umi-chan, Hanayo-chan!" Kotori was down the road carrying a large pack on her back. She caught up to them, panting slightly. "Sorry I'm late!"

"It's fine, but... what did you bring?" Umi asked, gesturing to the bag Kotori held.

"Mother made me take a lot of extra things just in case since she heard some of the roads are still blocked. We can't be too sure with this sort of weather, you know? Ah, but..." She bent down, giggling as she furiously ruffled Honoka's dogs. "They'll help keep us warm too!"

"Yeah!" Honoka pumped a fist, joining Kotori in petting her dogs and cooing to them. "They've been too restless and almost begged me to take them today!" Umi watched them, a tiny smile on her face before she sighed and turned to Hanayo.

"We have a mission so we'll have to take our leave now. Make sure to stay warm." She bent down to whisper so only Hanayo could hear her words. "I'll be sure to practice the dance routine more with you when we get back." She stood back up and turned back around, barking. "Honoka! Time to go!"

"Eh?! Why did you yell at only me!?" Honoka whined, standing up with a pout. She walked past Hanayo, waving to her. "Bye, Hanayo-chan, we'll see you sometime! Make us some rice balls when we return!" Her dogs barked in agreement, butting her with their noses before running off to their master.

Kotori walked by, smiling to Hanayo. "Tell Maki-chan we said hi too," she said as she walked past, waving to her as she hurried to follow after the other two. Hanayo sputtered, trying to quickly recollect herself.

"A-ah-um, good luck and stay safe!" she called out after them. She wondered if they managed to hear her but they all turned back at the same time, waving to her before turning back around.

Hanayo returned to waiting by herself, letting out a tiny sigh. They were a nice sight to see so early in the morning but at the same time, it was... a little too early in the morning, especially when dealing with Honoka's enthusiasm. She wondered how Umi did it all the time. Ah, but Rin was... sort of like that too, now that she thought about it. Maybe it was the same way? But Hanayo often got dragged around by Rin, and-

A loud whinny made her jolt and she looked down the road again. There, the person she had been waiting for, was finally making her appearance, leading her horse down the road.

Maki glanced up and stared at her, pausing for a moment before hurrying down the road, tugging on the reins of her horse. Luckily, he seemed to have the same idea and picked up his pace as well. Before Hanayo knew it, they were in front of her.

"Ha-Hanayo! It's cold this morning!" was the first thing Maki said to her, looking her over worriedly.

"I-I'm fine," Hanayo answered quickly. She held out the bag in her arms, smiling. "I made some extra rice balls too, just in case it gets stolen again." Maki frowned, glancing over at the horse next to her. The last time Hanayo had made rice balls, the both of them were enjoying the lunch until Maki's horse reached over and taken Maki's half-eaten rice ball in one bite. Hanayo giggled at the memory.

"... he's not going to take any more of them, if I can help it." Maki muttered. As if understanding, he let out a series of snorts that sounded like laughter. Maki rolled her eyes and gingerly took the bag, turning to add it to one of the pouches on her horse.

"I put some extra snacks for him too," Hanayo said as she reached out, softly patting his snout. He stepped closer, nudging her.

"H-hey, don't get so friendly, we have to go soon," Maki said with a frown, tugging on the reins slightly. Her horse whinnied in protest. Hanayo smiled, giving him one final pat before turning to Maki.

"U-um..." she started, pushing her hands together nervously. Maki blinked at her, tilting her head.

"Yeah? Is there anything else?"

"I... um..." Hanayo looked up over at Maki's face. The morning was cold but she felt anything but right now, with the way her cheeks heated up at the thought of what she wanted to do.

"Hanayo?" Maki awkwardly shuffled her feet in place. "I... I have to... leave soon for my mission, so... if you still have something... um..." She didn't expect Hanayo to nod to herself and rush forward.

Before she knew it, Hanayo was in front of her and there was something soft brushing against her cheek. In the next instant, Hanayo was stepping back with her face red. Maki blinked at her, dazedly raising a hand to her cheek.

 _Then_ it hit her what happened, what Hanayo had done. She inhaled sharply, gaping at Hanayo, her own face joining the other girl in turning just as red, if not even redder.

"I-I-I!" Hanayo squeaked out, fumbling to say something. "I-I-I j-just felt like d-doing it and I-I'm sor-sorry if you didn't l-like it!"

Maki stared at her, swallowing, aware that her throat was painfully dry now. She opened her mouth, felt the words spilling out of her before she realized.

"I didn't mind!" she all but shouted. Her mind finally caught up and she froze, looking away and turning a shade of red that wasn't too far from her hair.

"O-oh..." Hanayo could only say, staring at her before looking away, still too embarrassed. "I-I... wanted to give... give some good luck to y-you."

"Oh," Maki repeated, still touching her cheek. "It... uh, thank you." It was awkward silence for yet another period of time that felt too long.

Her horse whinnied loudly, startling the both of them.

"A-ah! I, er, have to get going now. Thank... thank you for the food and um... yeah," Maki finished with a sigh, frowning at how she couldn't properly form words in her mind right now.

"Oh! Um, yeah, I won't, um, keep you then," Hanayo murmured. She reached out again, patting the horse a few more times before moving back. Maki braved a look at her. Although her cheeks were still red, Hanayo was smiling softly, waving to her.

"Have a safe journey," she said. Maki nodded, returning her smile, and tugged her horse forward. She walked some distance away before she turned around. Hanayo was still waiting at the entrance of the village, watching her leave. Maki raised her arm, waving goodbye for one last time, waiting for Hanayo to respond in kind before she turned back toward the road, facing only forward now.

Several more moments passed and after making sure she was truly alone, Maki finally let the grin split across her face as she patted her cheek.

 **-1-**

To say Rin and Nico were surprised was an understatement.

They stared at her, eyes wide, completely still. Hanayo fidgeted under their gazes. It took such a long time for them to even _move_ that Hanayo wanted _someone_ to say something to end the awkwardness.

" _How_ ," was the first thing Nico said, a look of horror on her face. "That girl can't even get out a sentence talking to you on her worst days, let alone a whole confession!" She put a hand on her chin, thinking to herself. "Nozomi must have had something to do with it-"

"I-it just happened, I swear!" Hanayo blurted out. She was very glad that Maki wasn't here because there was no doubt that things would have escalated within _seconds_ and that was the last thing anyone needed right now, especially not with Nico and Rin completely baffled. "I-I mean, she thought I was in an arranged marriage because I didn't finish my story the other day and it... it... just... um..." Hanayo couldn't finish, her face completely red from embarrassment. She didn't want to completely share what had happened, it seemed too private a moment. "A-anyway! Maki-chan is really a lot nicer than before! She's... she's not the same as before!" she continued instead.

"... I know that," Nico said with a frown. "Honestly, it was a miracle how you _didn't_ notice, I thought it was obvious. Ugh, is that why she's been wearing such a disgusting smile so much lately?"

Now Hanayo was the one gaping at them. "E-eh?! What?!"

Nico only waved her hands. "Ah, whatever. At least you two have some sense, not like..." she trailed off with a scowl, shaking her head.

Rin laughed sheepishly. "I guess we teased her too much, nya. Rin didn't mean to go too far but it was just so fun riling her up!"

"Really, if she used her head a little more, she would have quickly figured it out," Nico added, still scowling. She looked over at Hanayo. "She still isn't off the hook though. Tell her to expect even more missions from me just because I know she won't go and murder some innocent boy now."

"H-huh?! Maki-chan wouldn't do that!" Hanayo argued.

Instead of saying anything, Rin and Nico shared a look. Hanayo laughed nervously.

They quickly said their goodbyes after that, splitting apart to go off on their own. Hanayo herself hadn't meant to stay for long, only running a quick errand for her family before needing to head back to tend to her guests. It was only by pure coincidence that Rin and Nico had caught her in the middle of the path and asked about Maki's recent strange behavior.

To say Hanayo was more than surprised to hear of Maki acting so uncharacteristically was a lie. Even now, after three days, Hanayo herself was still... giddy over everything, as if it had barely happened yesterday. There were times where she was smiling to herself that even Fujishiro had asked what had made her so happy and she had to quickly come up with an excuse. The more embarrassing parts were when her mother caught her and only smiled at her and Hanayo couldn't quite shake the feeling that somehow, she knew. Knew what, Hanayo wasn't sure, but knew _something._

Still, Hanayo's mood had never been better and there were times where if she wasn't careful, she would be skipping down the road while humming to herself, even more so than usual. And to hear that Maki was acting in an almost similar way too...

Hanayo let out a giggle as she tried to imagine a grumpy-faced Maki skipping down the road, with her usual scowl.

"Um, Koizumi-san?"

Hanayo yelped and whirled around, her hands ready into a fighting stance-

Fujishiro held his hands up, cautiously keeping away. "I, um, was calling you for a while and you weren't answering."

"O-oh!" Hanayo slowly let down her hands, smiling apologetically at him. "I'm sorry, I, um, was sort of lost in my thoughts a bit."

"Ah," he said with a nod. "Not to sound creepy but I have noticed you've been doing that, um, much more recently. You stare off sometimes and have this silly smile on your face." He scratched the back of his head as he looked away. "It's, u-um, cute," he said in a quiet voice.

Hanayo blinked at them. "Um... thank... thank you?" she mumbled, unsure of what else to say. He began to wave his hands.

"A-ah! I mean, like, since you're smiling much more, it means something good must have happened recently then." Fujishiro smiled sheepishly at her. "I'm sorry that you've been having to take me around the village instead of, u-um, doing what you're normally doing. So I'm happy that something... good happened to you, I guess? I'm not sure if that... was the proper thing to say. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I was trying to intrude."

"N-no! It's okay, Fujishiro-san," Hanayo quickly reassured. She looked away, still smiling a little. "But, u-um, I guess you could... say something did happen recently. U-um, good, yeah."

He quickly nodded, a smile on his face as well. "I'm glad to hear that. A-ah, before I forget, u-um... Koizumi-san."

Hanayo blinked at him, wondering why he suddenly sounded... stiff. "Er? Yes, Fujishiro-san?"

"K-Koizumi-san," he said again, a hopeful look on his face. "I... if I could ask you to call me by my-"

"Hi."

Maki appeared next to them, blank expression on her face. It took them both a moment, blinking at her before they both yelped. Maki's expression was still flat but a corner of her mouth tugged upward at their reactions. She looked over at Hanayo, her eyes softening just a tiny bit before they hardened again as she looked over at Fujishiro. He visibly swallowed, standing unusually stiff and looking at Hanayo for help.

"M-Maki-chan," Hanayo said softly, reaching out and tugging on Maki's sleeve with a quiet whimper. Maki glanced at her and gave a near imperceptible huff. She turned back to him.

"... hello," she said again, just a little less curt than before.

"H-h-hello," he returned, clearly afraid.

They said nothing else, with Maki still staring at him, as if waiting for him to make a move, not that he was in any position too, frozen with fear.

" _Maki-chan_ ," Hanayo tried again with a frown, tugging on her sleeve. Maki sighed, crossing her arms.

"... hello," she said again, trying very hard to contain her annoyance. "I'm Nishikino."

Fujishiro nodded slowly before his eyes widened. "H-huh? Ni... Nishikino?" he asked, looking over at Hanayo questioningly. She nodded, and he let out a wide smile, turning back to Maki. "A-ah! Koizumi-san was telling me all about you!"

Maki's whole mood immediately changed. "E-eh? What?"

He nodded eagerly. "Yes! Koizumi-san is always telling me that you're one of the best ninjas around. She talks very highly of you, and I've always wanted to see what other ninja could be worthy of the praise of a Koizumi."

Maki listened to him with a look of disbelief. She slowly turned to look at Hanayo, who shyly glanced away, embarrassed at being caught.

"She... she said that about me?" Maki asked, still staring at Hanayo. Fujishiro nodded before he began to ramble on excitedly, too fast for either of them to follow. Hanayo caught bits of something about wanting to see Maki's abilities. It was too much for Maki though, whose eyes were wide at the sudden outburst, and now _she_ was the one looking over at Hanayo for help, awkwardly trying to calm him down.

"How... how did you even deal with him all the time?" Maki asked later when they were finally alone, with Fujishiro called to return to his family to prepare for their leaving in two days. All Hanayo could do was only shrug and laugh quietly at how exhausted Maki seemed to be.

Hanayo and Fujishiro promised to write letters to each other, something that seemed to satisfy his parents but Fujishiro himself also seemed to understand that Hanayo had no interest. All he had asked for was for her, and even Maki too, to tell him of their adventures, as he was rarely able to venture out on his own unless it was under his parents' watchful eyes. It would be his own way of seeing the world, he said, and the both of them couldn't quite disagree to his polite request when he described it like that.

So the Fujishiros had left, and while Hanayo had enjoyed his company and the thrill of entertaining new guests for the most part, there was a small part of her that felt so unburdened after everything ended.

… except Maki had been called away to a mission by Nico the day after, and Rin had left a day before the Fujishiro's departure. Hanayo hadn't been able to see her best friend off due to tending to Fujishiro, but she had managed to see Maki off at least. The memory of it made her blush when she remembered what she had done, giving the other girl a kiss on her cheek for good luck.

There were some small errands and missions Hanayo had done in the meantime to keep herself busy. There was _always_ someone missing something or needing a letter delivered to another village, something simple enough for Hanayo to do. It had gotten to the point where Nico _didn't_ have any sort of odd job for her to do anymore, with the future chief scratching her head in bewilderment and muttering about how this never happened even when she gave all of them to Maki.

As there wasn't much more she could do to help out others, Hanayo decided the best thing to do was to focus on her garden, her own little personal project that had unexpectedly sprouted fast like a weed. Rin and Maki, and even Nico at times, helped her out with it, but Hanayo didn't realize how much her garden had expanded until now.

She looked over her field, hand on her chin as she thought about what to plant for this year. Her mother wanted some fresh vegetables but didn't tell her which ones, leaving it up for Hanayo to decide. There was Nozomi who wanted some as well but she wasn't sure what the older girl liked. Ah, and she also had to plant some herbs as well, for both Kotori and Maki-

A sudden touch on her cheek made her scream as she jolted out of her thoughts and whirled all around. Her hands scrambled to where she kept-

Hands grabbed at her wrists and she was pulled back against a body. Hanayo had no choice but to look up at her assailant.

She was greeted with Maki's apologetic face. Hanayo blinked at her, relief replacing the surprise now. Her body, tensed up from before, slumped against Maki's as she let out the breath she held. Maki's hands rubbed soothing circles on her palms, trying to help her relax.

"S-sorry, you... you looked deep in thought and I thought... I thought it would have been fun to..." Maki trailed off, her face guilty. "I'm sorry." Hanayo looked at Maki for a moment before turning around, carefully holding her hands.

"I was just thinking about something and then you, um, surprised me! It was my fault for not paying closer attention." She nodded determinedly. "I w-won't be caught off guard next time!"

"Next time...?" Maki smiled wryly at her, raising her hand to Hanayo's cheeks. She stopped right before contact though, eyes glancing all around. Finally accessing that no one was around, she poked Hanayo's cheek. That must have been what she had done the first time, Hanayo thought with a giggle. The sound made Maki blush and she drew her hand back, looking away in embarrassment.

Maki still often got embarrassed at any sort of physical contact between them, after everything they had confessed to each other. It wasn't as if Hanayo was much better though, feeling like things felt both same and different, somehow at the same time even. Like right now, when Hanayo was holding onto Maki's hand, it seemed like it was normal, as if they had been doing this from the very beginning. Then there were other times where their hands would faintly brush in a light touch as they walked next to each other and Hanayo swore her face would never stop being on fire.

… but that was a topic for another day.

"Did you just get back, Maki-chan?" Hanayo asked. The last time she had seen Maki was... maybe several weeks ago, when she was seeing off the other girl for a mission. She had come back but had to set off again the day afterward with someone from her clan, needing to take care of something for her family. The weather was already much warmer now, the mornings no longer chilly to the point of stinging cold, only a mild wind that was much more gentle and forgiving than the storms and blizzards of snow.

If Hanayo wanted to be honest though, she missed Maki and wanted to spend at least some time with her before Nico inevitably whisked her away on yet another mission.

"Yeah, I got back yesterday... early afternoon?" She looked faintly embarrassed. "I was really tired though and fell asleep through the night until this morning."

"Oh!" Hanayo frowned at her. "If you were feeling tired, you didn't have to come see me! You should have rested up first."

"I'm fine, don't worry about me," Maki said, pulling the hand on Hanayo's cheek away to wave dismissively. "A-and I, um, wanted to see you..." she admitted quietly. She froze suddenly, as if realizing exactly what she was saying before she started waving her hand frantically. "I-I mean! I have something to give you and I didn't want to forget, uh, um, let me go get it."

She quickly pulled away from Hanayo to reach into the small pack around her waist, fingers fumbling in her nervousness. Hanayo watched as she took out two smaller pouches and held it out for her. "There was a village I stopped by on the way back. There was this field of flowers and it was just... just... really beautiful. All these petals flying everywhere and so many colors!" There was a tiny smile on her face as she continued. "It was... really pretty. The villagers ended up giving me some flower seeds but I don't really have any use for them, so..."

"Seeds?" Hanayo asked, carefully taking one of the bags and looking inside. In the bag was a variety of seeds she didn't recognize, all different shapes and sizes. She took the other bag and looked inside of it as well, finding the same results. "They're all different!"

"These aren't the exact same ones that I was telling you about. The villagers told me you can plant these right now and they should bloom sometime in the summer, I think?"

"Oh!" Hanayo looked out, toward her garden, already planning. "That's good! I should make a new area for them then. I was only thinking about herbs and vegetables but I didn't think about putting flowers. I'm sure Mot—ah, um, my mother and father will enjoy them too."

"Er, yeah, they'll look nice," Maki said, following Hanayo's gaze. "If you need help, I should be free. If Nico doesn't find something for me to do for another week," she added tiredly with a sigh.

"I'll tell her to give you a break, because you'll be helping me," Hanayo said. "I can take up some of the jobs instead!"

"... if I'm supposed to help you with your garden, how am I supposed to do that if you're not there?" Maki pointed out, smiling wryly. Hanayo laughed sheepishly in realization. "You don't have to but a small break definitely sounds nice right now. A-anyway, um... H-Hanayo," she started, sounding embarrassed for some reason.

Hanayo looked up at her, curious. "Hm?"

"It was, um, beautiful," she blurted out suddenly, her face turning red. "T-the flower field I mean! Th-they said that the, um, flowers only bloom for a short time so even if we leave right now, y-you won't be able to see them, so... s-so... um..." Her voice trailed off as she nervously played with her strands of hair. "N-next year we can go... I mean, I can take you if... if y-you want, since I've already seen it, so... um, yeah."

"... huh?" Hanayo blinked at her, still trying to wrap her mind around what Maki was telling her. "U-uh, um, next... next year? What's... what's going on?"

Maki pushed her lips together, clenching her fists tightly before she let out a deep breath. She closed her eyes as she did so, waiting for several seconds before she opened them, staring straight at Hanayo. "The flower field that I saw, I... let's go next year."

"Next... next year? Oh!" Hanayo smiled at her. "It'll be a nice trip for all of us! Rin-chan and Nico-chan too." To her confusion though, Maki shook her head.

"No... I..." She nervously looking away as she scratched the back of her neck. "I... I mean, just... just the two of us... j-just... you and me."

"The... the two of us?" Hanayo repeated slowly before it finally dawned on her. _Oh,_ she thought, eyes wide. Maki nodded stiffly, sneaking a glance at her before nervously looking away, curling strands of her hair around her finger as she always did.

It took Hanayo only a moment to reach out and gently take Maki's hand into her own. "I... I don't mind," she said quietly, smiling up at Maki.

The answer she received was a soft squeeze on her hand and an equally soft smile.

 **-2-**

Hanayo stood in the middle of the trees, tense, with her eyes darting all around.

There was a flash of red and a touch on her cheek-

Hanayo couldn't help the pout that formed, realizing she had been caught unaware once again. She was getting much better though, at least able to see Maki _this_ time. She looked up into the tree where the girl in question was now, standing atop a branch and smiling wryly down at Hanayo.

"You'll have to do better than that!" she called out before giving Hanayo a quick wave and disappearing in a flash.

Hanayo sighed to herself, patting her cheek. It had already been so long and _still_ , Hanayo couldn't quite catch Maki-

"That's cute."

Hanayo yelped and whirled around. Nozomi stood behind her with an amused smile.

"N-N-Nozomi-chan! W-w-what are y-y-you doing there?! H-h-how long?!"

"Long enough," Nozomi answered with a snicker, tapping her cheek. Hanayo felt her own cheeks immediately warm in response, realizing Nozomi _had_ seen everything. "So? What are you two up to now?"

"N-nothing!" Hanayo blurted out, knowing she had done nothing but piqued Nozomi's curiosity even more. Nozomi let out a hum as she slowly smiled, putting a hand on her chin.

"Hanayo-chan, if you know something's coming, then wouldn't it better for you to react first than to wait for it to happen and react after?"

Hanayo blinked, looking at Nozomi with confusion. "A-ah? Huh?"

"See, let's just say..." Before Hanayo realized, Nozomi's face was close to hers, and moving closer still. Hanayo yelped and instinctively snapped her eyes closed, trembling. She yelped and snapped them open a second later when Nozomi blew a puff of air against her cheek.

"N-Nozomi-chan! D-don't do something like that!" Hanayo cried out, her face red with embarrassment and slight anger. Nozomi laughed, standing back up and patting her on the head.

"I was just teasing you there. But what I'm saying is you can't always just react to things right after they happen, especially since we're all ninjas here, you know?" Nozomi smiled wryly at her. "If you know for sure something is coming, then you should prepare for that accordingly, no?" Nozomi gave her another pat. "That's how you'll be able to catch Maki-chan off guard."

"M-Maki-chan?!"

Nozomi only smiled knowingly at her in response, laughing softly. Hanayo felt her cheeks turn red once more.

It was only meant to be a simple game between the two of them.

"How is that supposed to help me be more aware of my surroundings?" Hanayo had asked with a confused frown. Maki crossed her arms as she thought about it. She looked all around them, peering at the trees before an idea came to her.

"Hanayo, I'm going to sneak away now and touch your cheek. See if you can catch me!" And before Hanayo could even speak, Maki disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"H-hah?!" Hanayo darted her eyes all over but any presence of Maki she had felt was now gone, replaced by the sounds of the woods. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down as she focused all of her senses. If Hanayo knew it was coming, then Maki had no chance! She would be able to catch Maki right before—

A touch on her cheek made her shriek in surprise and she whirled around to the side.

Nothing.

She whirled back around, feeling someone behind her back.

Nothing there as well.

There was another touch upon her cheek.

Hanayo spun all around but she was still alone by herself.

"M-Maki-chan!" Hanayo cried out as she slapped her hands over her cheeks, feeling more than embarrassed right now. Maki dropped down from above, the corners of her lips quirked upward.

"That was really fun, to be honest," she said.

Hanayo sighed. "I can't even tell when you're coming. I'm not very good, am I?"

"T-that's not true! Here, about you try it then?" Maki pointed to herself. "You try to surprise me."

"O-oh!" Hanayo slowly nodded. "U-um… o-okay… here I go!" Hanayo ran off, making sure she was hidden from sight before leaping into the trees. Maki stood in the middle of the clearing with her arms crossed. Though she looked calm, Hanayo could see the way her head moved subtly, trying to scan her surroundings without seeming tense.

Hanayo watched her. When Maki's eyes darted away from the general direction she was at, she carefully leaped downward, landing on the ground.

A twig snapped under her feet.

Maki whirled to the sound but Hanayo was already gone, using the distraction to circle around. Maki's body was fully turned toward Hanayo's original position. Her hand twitched.

 _N-now!_ Hanayo leaped forward, silent and quick like the wind—

Maki disappeared from sight.

"Ah?!"

A pair of arms caught her around her middle and before Hanayo knew it, she was facing the ground, her feet dangling in the air. Maki's legs entered her vision and Hanayo instinctively grabbed at them, hands balling in the fabric of her pants as she tried to steady herself.

"W-whoa!" Maki grunted and before Hanayo realized, the hands on her began to move, also moving Hanayo as well. And now, she was staring upward at the sky, with one of Maki's hands are her back and the other holding her legs. Maki came into sight seconds later, blinking at her.

"You were kind of obvious," she said with a wry smile. Hanayo stared up at her.

"U-um… Maki-chan… are you… er, holding me?"

"… hm?" Maki blinked down at her. Her eyes slowly began to widen in realization and Hanayo instinctively thrust her arms out to circle around Maki's neck. That seemed to do the trick and Maki tightened her hold on Hanayo instead of letting go. "I-I didn't mean to do that!" Maki squeaked out.

"I-it's okay! J-just, u-um, let me d-down," Hanayo mumbled, too embarrassed to say anything else. Maki quickly nodded and did just that, lowering her onto the ground. They still stayed close though, unable to look at each other.

"Um… your… your arms are still around me," Maki pointed out. Hanayo yelped and shot her hands back, nearly stumbling backward as well.

They awkwardly fidgeted in place. Hanayo let out a nervous laugh. "I-I guess that just proves it then, I'm n-not that good," she mumbled, scratching the back of her head.

"What?" Maki quickly shook her head. "N-no! It's…" Her eyes brightened suddenly and she looked over at Hanayo. "How about we play a small game?"

"… huh?"

"I'll try to help you out with your training so when I have time, I'll come find you and," she tapped her own cheek, "surprise you by touching your cheek."

"Oh… I guess we could do that." Hanayo couldn't see anything wrong with that. "I-I just have to catch you then?"

"Something like that, I guess?" Maki crossed her arms. "Or you try to surprise me instead, whichever one happens first?"

And now, a week later, and Hanayo still made no progress whatsoever. Maki still managed to surprise her but she was at least getting better at noticing Maki was even _there_ in the first place. But it still made Hanayo a little down when she thought about how slow her progress felt. If it were anyone else, the game would have been over in a few days rather than the whole week and ongoing, she couldn't help but think.

"Hanayo-chan? Hanayo-chan!" Nozomi waved a hand in front of her.

"A-ah! Yes?!" Hanayo squeaked, standing up straight. Nozomi smiled patiently at her.

"Anyway… what I was saying before was… it's not really about being fast although it'd be a nice advantage, especially if you're trying not to get caught. It's also whether you do something unexpected to catch the other person off guard too. Like..." Nozomi looked around her, face brightening suddenly. "Here, watch me…"

Nozomi ran off, waving her hand and shouting loudly. "Nicocchi!"

Nico, from where she was some distance off, froze, slowly turning around. "Nozomi, what are you doing here?" she called out.

"Nothing, I just happened to be in the area! Ah, here's Hanayo-chan though!" Nozomi gestured behind her to where Hanayo was, who awkwardly waved back. Nico crossed her arms with a huff.

"Hanayo-chan, if you know what's good for you, you shouldn't be hanging around Nozomi too often!" she shouted.

"Nicocchi, how mean!" Nozomi said with a pout. "I like talking to Hanayo-chan!"

"Yeah, well, I'm more worried about Hanayo talking to you," Nico muttered. Nozomi grinned before waving her over.

"If you're so worried, I'm gonna kidnap Hanayo-chan then!"

Nico startled, narrowing her eyes. "Oh no, don't you dare—" She sprinted forward.

There was a loud boom and Nico was suddenly gone from sight. In her place was a large hole that definitely wasn't there before.

Nozomi let out a cheerful shout and ran to it. Hanayo blinked rapidly, gaping for a moment before scrambling up to join Nozomi, peering down into the hole with worry.

At the bottom of the pit was a stunned Nico, laying at the bottom and staring up at them with dazed eyes.

"My pitfall trap worked! Nicocchi, that makes four today! Two more and it'll beat the record!" Nozomi shouted cheerfully. She turned to Hanayo with a twinkle in her eyes. "See, that was unexpected, right? Unconventional!"

Hanayo could only nod incredulously.

After making sure Nico was okay (and quickly running away before Nico started ripping into Nozomi about the prank), Hanayo was on her way once more, sighing to herself. It was supposed to be a sort of fun game between her and Maki but all it had done was make her worried about herself in the end.

A sudden feeling made her stop in her tracks.

Above everything else, the sense that had been most ingrained into them since the very beginning was being able to tell when they were being watched.

And there it was again, that feeling. Hanayo carefully let out a breath and continued walking, trying to calm herself down. If Maki knew she was already spotted, then there was no telling which way she would come. Hanayo had to remain calm and trick Maki into thinking she still had the upper hand here, and then she would act.

What was it that Nozomi said? Something… unconventional? Hanayo looked around her. Nothing but trees and green foliage greeted her. Ah! But maybe…

Without any warning, Hanayo took off. She was sure Maki would wait to see what she would do first before acting so she didn't worry about trying to watch out for herself. Every time it had happened, Hanayo had been going through the woods. The forests to both Hanayo and Maki were like intimate knowledge at this point, but…

It took a few minutes of running but soon, Hanayo saw her destination in sight. She leaped into the open clearing, trying to catch her footing on the rocks. She had come to where the waterfall was.

It was completely open here, where Maki couldn't use the trees to her advantage. The rocks here were also unsteady, and Hanayo was sure she'd be able to tell when someone was nearby. She turned around as well, keeping her back to the water. There were only a few directions Maki could come from. Even for a great ninja like Maki, this would be tough. Overall, it was wholly disadvantageous to Maki and for sure, this time, Hanayo would-

A touch on her cheek made Hanayo yelp but she quickly whirled around, her hand reaching out-

She brushed something soft but the touch was fleeting and in the next moment, she _knew_ she was alone now. Hanayo blinked, looking down. There were several rocks upturned.

Hanayo sat down next to the river, picking up some of the rocks. With a dejected sigh, she skipped them out across the water.

… maybe not today, but she'd be able to catch Maki one day.

 **-3-**

It wasn't the only event that had happened to Hanayo since then.

Hanayo was coming back from a mission, passing through the woods as she let her mind wander, idly thinking about other things. Going through the forests around their home was already deeply ingrained in her. She could have went through the woods with her eyes closed, that much she could still trust herself with.

When she neared the river, a sudden series of sounds made Hanayo pause. She strained her ears, trying to focus.

"O-oh!" Realizing what it was now, Hanayo leaped down to the ground and ran ahead, out of the trees and into the river.

There, at the edge of the water, was a group of ducklings, chirping helplessly. When she came closer, they all immediately looked at her, still chirping but quieting down now. Hanayo looked all around, brow furrowed.

"Ah, your... your mother, I can't find her anywhere. Um..." She turned around and ran back into the woods, hoping maybe the mother was in there.

After scouring what had to be about three times, Hanayo came back to the river, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"H-huh?! They're not here?!" Hanayo panicked, looking all over. "They... they couldn't have tried to follow me, did they?!" She tried to remember which direction she had first gone in. "Ah! I have no time to worry about this!" Picking what she hoped was the right direction, she took off in a run, the trees flying past her.

The familiar chirps of the ducklings drifted over to her ears. She froze, straining herself as she darted all over. The chirping came again. "There!" She followed the sound, finding the ducklings near the base of a tree. They turned around, looking at her for a moment before waddling over to her. She bent down, petting them all on the head. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to leave you all alone! Ah..."

What was she supposed to do now? Maybe... maybe lead them back to the water first? That seemed like a good idea. She took a few steps and looked behind her. Just as she thought, the ducklings scrambled to follow after her.

"This... is going to take a while." There was too much of them for Hanayo to carry in her arms but there wasn't much of a choice she had. As carefully as she could, even making sure the path was clear first, Hanayo led them through the forest.

As she went through the woods though, yet another sound caught her attention. A familiar flash of red made her heart quicken but she held back, glancing down at the ducklings. "Let's make a small detour first." The same as she had been doing, she cleared the path before leading them down it. Once she got closer though, she was completely sure. She peeked out from the tree into the clearing, a smile on her face.

"Maki-chan-" Her voice trailed off in a strangled gasp, her face heating up.

There stood Maki with her back straight, facing the opposite direction of Hanayo, with a hand on her forehead as if trying to keep it upright. There was sweat gleaming off of her face.

And there was also the way she didn't have her shirt on, the only covering she even had on at the moment were the training bandages on her chest.

She knew Maki trained often, though not to the extent Umi and Nico did. And even if she wasn't training, Rin often dragged her around, by playing pranks on her and riling Maki up to the point where she was provoked into chasing Rin all day long in an attempt to try to teach her a lesson. Unfortunately, Rin won more often than not, and they spent their time with Hanayo afterward, with Maki nursing her wounded pride and Rin bragging of her speed and ability to escape. She knew it'd make Maki train harder, spurred on by Rin's provocations.

Hanayo found her eyes trailing over the taut muscles of Maki's back. It was even more pronounced when Maki raised her arms above her head, stretching them out. Hanayo's throat was dry and she wanted nothing more than to throw herself into the river at this point.

Maki turned around suddenly. It took her another moment before her eyes caught on Hanayo's. They brightened up with pleasant surprise. "Ah, Hanayo? You're back from your mission?" Maki brought her hands down, panting slightly as she wiped the sweat off of her forehead. "Sorry, I'm in the middle of training, wasn't expecting to run into you."

"It's fine!" Hanayo squeaked out, eyes still wide, unable to stop staring. Realizing Hanayo wasn't going to speak anymore, Maki blinked again, looking at her strangely.

"Are... are you staring at me?" she asked, bewilderment creeping into her tone. She glanced down-

"N-no!" Hanayo shouted. Maki startled, eyes back up on her. "N-no!" Hanayo shouted again, shaking her head rapidly.

"... ah... right..." Maki only said, still looking at Hanayo strangely.

The sound of chirping made the both of them pause.

"O-oh!" Hanayo glanced down, walking closer to let the ducklings come into view. "I found these baby ducks. I can't seem to find their mother though."

"... ah." Maki walked over to her. Hanayo froze up, eyes following Maki's every motion, especially as she bent down right in front of her. Her hands patted the ducklings and she let out a soft breath. Even Hanayo couldn't help but let out an indulgent smile despite everything she was feeling.

"Anything I could do to help right now?"

Hanayo blinked, realizing Maki stood up and was now looking at her with her arms crossed.

"Um!" Hanayo had to look away, slapping a cheek. "I-I! U-um, y-yeah!" She let out a deep breath to steady herself before Maki got even more suspicious. "C-can you get me a box? It looks like they're following me around and it'll be dangerous for them if they keep doing it, so..."

"Ah, good point. Yeah, give me a moment, I'll go as fast as I can."

Luckily for Hanayo, Maki made sure to put her shirt back on. Unluckily, she suddenly froze, turning to look at Hanayo with her eyes wide. "H-Hanayo... was... was my shirt off the whole time?"

Hanayo didn't answer but a deeper flush crept across her face.

Maki's face was blank as she looked away. "I'll be right back!" she squeaked out then, taking off in a single leap.

Hanayo leaned against a tree and slowly slid down, slapping at her cheeks. The ducklings surrounded her, chirping, but they did nothing to take off the burning of Hanayo's face.

Once Maki came back with a box, they set to work. They spent three days, recruiting the rest of their friends to help. Unfortunately, even with Umi's hawk scouring from above and Honoka's dogs sniffing through the forests, they could find no trace of the mother duck.

"I… I guess…" Hanayo pushed her lips together as she stared down at the helpless ducklings, all looking back up at her. She turned to Maki and Rin who waited for her decision, nodding determinedly at them. "Can I ask you two for a favor?"

And now, several more days later, Hanayo was bent down in front of her newly installed pond at her garden, smiling softly at the ducklings swimming inside. Rin and Maki had left earlier, going back to eat dinner with their families. The sun was setting and Hanayo was now beginning to realize that though she had built this small place outside, she still had to do something about _inside._

"Oh my! Ducklings?"

Hanayo yelped, whirling around. Next to her stood her mother, giving her a quick smile before looking down into the pond.

"M-M-Mother!" Hanayo yelped out, wondering exactly how long her mother had been standing there. A lot of people were easily sneaking up on her, she was starting to think.

"These ducklings… they don't have a mother?" she asked. Hanayo sadly shook her head.

"N-no… we tried to look but we couldn't find her. It felt too sad to leave them alone in the wild too…" Hanayo sighed before she froze. "O-oh! I forgot to ask if it was okay for me to keep them—"

"They're cute," her mother answered, still smiling. "I know I told you to try growing something different for your garden but I didn't think you'd go out and get-"

"I didn't! Hanayo gasped out. "Not like that!" Her mother giggled at her and Hanayo pouted. She knew her mother wasn't serious about the joke but Hanayo couldn't help but burst out like that.

"So you took them back here and built this pond then?"

"Rin-chan and Maki-chan helped me out too."

"Ah, was that all the commotion I've been hearing recently?" Hanayo's mother put a hand on her face. "Although it was more like Rin-chan and Maki-chan yelling."

Hanayo laughed nervously, realizing what her mother was talking about. Rin often brought out Maki's competitive side and as a result, turned even building the pond into a competition, to who could shovel the fastest, who could find the biggest and prettiest rocks, almost anything Rin could think of.

"We can use one of the spare rooms as a nest for them," her mother said, looking back at their house with a thoughtful expression. "I'll ask Shimozono-san to help clean up and find some proper bedding for them."

"Thank you," Hanayo said with a grateful, glad her mother was even more than willing to help her out.

Her mother walked away to do so and Hanayo stayed there, watching her ducklings with a fond smile as they splashed about.

"I wish we could have found your mother," she mumbled, bending down to pat one on the head. "Ah... if I'm going to keep you, I might as well give you names. Let's see..."

"And done!"

Hanayo let out a shout of surprise when her mother reappeared at her side. "It'll be the third room on the north side," her mother said, winking at her. "We surprisingly had a lot of useful things around to use so it wasn't too hard to do in a short amount of time. Of course, as their new mother, you'll have to go inspect it yourself."

"H-hah?" Hanayo blinked at her. "New... mother?"

"Well, these ducklings don't have anyone else but you, don't they?"

"I... I guess so." Hanayo looked back down at the ducklings. She patted another one on the head. There was a pat on her own head now. Hanayo glanced up to find her mother doing the same to her, a smile on her face.

"We'll find some food for them but it's almost dinner time for us too. I'll have Shimozono-san help us out with that too, if you don't mind. I'm sure you must be pretty tired too after doing so much work these past few days. Take a small break."

Hanayo wanted to argue that she didn't mind taking care of the ducklings some more but there was something about her mother's tone that made her nod, looking at her curiously.

"Hanayo, let's have a talk after dinner," her mother only said with a smile before leaving.

Dinner was a mostly quiet affair, with Hanayo telling her father about the ducklings. Her father smiled at her enthusiasm, encouraging her to talk more and even mentioning about wanting to see them. Hanayo couldn't help herself, especially when her father and mother looked completely hooked on her words.

Afterward, after dinner and Hanayo had shown her father the ducklings, her mother tapped her shoulder.

"Ah, you wanted to talk, Mother?" Her mother smiled at her before gesturing for her to follow after her. Hanayo did, following after her. Before long, Hanayo realized they were standing at the edge of the house that faced her garden. Her mother gestured for her to sit down.

"Mother?"

Her mother looked down at her with a gentle smile. "You know, when you asked if you could build a garden here, I don't think I've ever been more surprised."

Hanayo looked at her mother, at a loss for words.

"Hanayo, this might be something that you already know but... what I want more than anything is for you to be happy," her mother said, patting her on the head. "I know you've been training hard to be a ninja but it doesn't mean you have to be a ninja to be heir to our family." She gestured to the gardens before her. "After all, you did all of this by yourself."

"But... h-huh? Aren't we a ninja clan?"

"We are," her mother answered with a smile. Hanayo blinked at her.

"Not everyone in our family is great, you know? I had to train hard because of your grandfather and though I admit I'm one of the better ninjas of the village, because I was born in the Koizumi, I'm only... average, compared to our great ancestors who came before us. Your grandfather kept pushing me but it... it felt like it didn't mean anything in the end. But then I had you, and I realized I couldn't let that happen to you."

Hanayo stared at her mother, trying to wrap her mind around what she was hearing. Her mother was a well respected ninja—she _still_ was. Even Nico-chan deferred to her when she visited, speaking about how she wanted to be a great ninja like Hanayo's mother.

To hear all of this... Hanayo wasn't even sure what to think at all. It felt as if she was hearing a deeply hidden village secret.

"M-Mother, you..." She didn't even know what to say, closing her mouth, opening it, and closing it again. All she could even do was stare at her mother in sheer disbelief and confusion. This... it... it was...

The soft laughter of her mother brought Hanayo back to reality. Still, she could do nothing but shake her head, struggling to make sense of what she was told.

"Our ancestors certainly left us quite the legacy, didn't they?" Her mother laughed again though Hanayo thought she sounded more wistful than amused.

"I... I didn't know," Hanayo said slowly, still in disbelief. "I... I always thought it was weird how you didn't push me at all." She cast her eyes downward, voice quieter still. "It... it made me feel like you already knew I wasn't going to be good enough no matter how hard I tried." Despite her best efforts, Hanayo felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. It was something she had constantly worried about, never being good enough for her family.

Her mother reached over and put an arm around her, leaning their heads together. "Hanayo, it was never like that. Maybe I should have said something if I had known you really didn't want to be a ninja but I didn't want you to feel like it was because I didn't think you were good enough. Far from it, if you put one hundred percent into it, you'll be more than a fine ninja. But," her mother looked down at her with a knowing smile, "it isn't really what you want to do, is it?"

"I..." Hanayo sighed, looking down at her hands. How many times had they been cut while she was training? How hard did she work when she struggled with even the most basic of training? "B-but, what will the others think?"

"We'll figure that out when it comes," her mother answered easily a faint smile on her lips. "Being a Koizumi doesn't mean _only_ being good at being a ninja." She looked down at Hanayo, patting her head.

"Oh..." Hanayo wondered what she was supposed to be good at. She felt like there wasn't anything to her that made her stand out particularly.

Her mother patted her head again, distracting her. "Don't worry, sometimes it takes us a long time to figure out ourselves. That's a part of life, and you're still young," her mother said sagely. Hanayo wondered if her mother knew what had been on her mind but all she did was give her another faint smile. After listening to her mother though, Hanayo felt... strangely relieved. All the burning questions she kept deep inside of her because she was too afraid to voice them were suddenly answered.

She wondered if her mother just somehow... knew. Maybe she felt like this when she was around her age as well? But from the stories Hanayo had heard of her grandfather, though he wasn't exactly very strict when it came to her mother's daily life, he was... incredibly passionate when it came to the affairs of the ninja. Hanayo wondered what it would have been like, if he was still alive. Maybe she would have been like Maki-chan, whose grandfather was still alive and pushed her to be the absolute best, which meant being better than the Koizumi.

Her thoughts began to tumble onward from there. If she had met Maki's grandfather, would he come to accept _her_ as being a ninja of the Koizumi, much less the heir? She knew her mother was amazing, but Hanayo... wasn't.

The thought made Hanayo tense, and she thanked all the gods and spirits that out of all the times she had gone to Maki's house, she had managed to never run into Maki's grandfather this whole time.

N-next time... she'd have to let Maki know... she'd never be able to come over... and maybe-

"Hanayo? Are you okay?" Her mother's voice broke through her frantic thoughts. "You suddenly seem worked up."

"N-nothing!" Hanayo all but shouted. It was quiet for a moment before her mother gave a low hum, reaching out to pat her head.

"By the way, how's Maki-chan recently?" she asked.

Hanayo tensed up again. There... there was a certain tone to her mother's voice, and Hanayo couldn't quite be _too_ sure, but-

"You know, Maki-chan was such a terror when she was younger! And now you've got her wrapped around your finger, haven't you?" her mother spoke suddenly.

"I... u-um... h-huh?" Hanayo had a tiny feeling she wasn't about to like where this conversation was about to go.

"Maki-chan's mother and I secretly worried about it, you know! Maki-chan seemed to keep picking on you all the time and, one day... she stopped!" Her mother put a hand on her chin. "After that time she broke her arm, Maki-chan's mother started talking to me about how differently she started acting. I think that was around the time she started to actually talk to you, huh."

Hanayo stared down at her lap, nervously playing with her fingers. "Is... i-is that... so."

"And now you two are such good friends! Why, before you two got older and started getting assigned missions, I don't remember a day where you two _weren't_ always together." Her mother paused. "Or so Rin-chan tells me."

Hanayo was _sure_ her mother was doing this on purpose now. Her mother only smiled but Hanayo could no longer be sure of what that smile meant anymore. "Tell Maki-chan to come visit more often! I feel like we'll still only be seeing each other much more often in the future too."

As Hanayo quietly stewed in her embarrassment, her mother stood up. "Ah, that took a while, but your mother is tired now, so I'll be leaving first." She patted Hanayo's head and began to walk away. Hanayo looked over at her, watching her leave.

"Ah." Her mother suddenly paused though, hand on her chin as if in thought. "Just for future reference though, Maki-chan has to take our name." With those words, she turned back around, tittering behind her hand. "We've still won this time, Nishikino!"

Hanayo remained frozen in her spot for a long time, horrified to realize exactly _how much_ her mother knew.

 **-4-**

With the advent of spring done, summer was coming, the chirps of the cicada to signal the season.

Summer festivals were just around the corner. Otonokizaka was more than busy, with everyone rushing around and preparing. Even Hanayo found herself rushing all over the place, running all sorts of errands for her family and also taking on smaller missions to help others who needed extra supplies from outside villages but were too busy to go themselves. It was mostly the older villagers who didn't have children and relied on the ninjas of the town to give them aid.

"It sure is useful living in a village full of ninjas, isn't it?" Hasekura said with a smile on his face, wrinkled with lines. "I only just barely put in the request this morning and Yazawa-sama already answered so fast with a helper! Especially with something as small as this."

"O-oh, I'm more than happy to help out! You always give me so many bags of rice whenever harvest season comes around," Hanayo replied earnestly, smiling at him. He roared with laughter and grinned at her.

"Thanks very much, Hanayo-chan. Seeing ya get so happy about my rice is more than enough for me sometimes." He patted her head. "Off ya go, I'm sure ya got lots to do. Tell yer mother I said hello too!"

"Of course!" Hanayo said before spinning around and taking off in a leap, off to the next assignment.

Before long, even when all of her friends were too busy to see each other and Hanayo helping her family prepare, the festival had come. Her mother pulled her aside, helping her put on her yukata.

Soon, her mother stepped back, smiling at her handiwork. "There! You'll be the absolute cutest," she said with a wide smile. "You'll be so cute that even Maki-chan-"

"M-M-Mother!" Hanayo cried out, covering her red face in embarrassment.

"Just kidding," her mother said with a laugh, patting her on the back. "Look at yourself! How is it?"

Hanayo glanced down at herself, carefully moving her fingers down the pink fabric, letting her fingers linger on the light floral pattern of the yukata _._ It made her smile and she looked up at her mother, grinning. "It's so beautiful, thank you."

Her mother smiled back. "Well, off you go then! Don't stay out too late and don't eat so much that you end up so full that you can't walk home!"

Hanayo laughed sheepishly, knowing her mother spoke from past experience. "I'll be going off now!"

She left her house, going down the path to the festival. Right before the stairs that led up to the shrine and the rest of the festival, she stopped, waiting at the bottom. She watched others walking past her, nodding and smiling to them. From behind her was the bustle of the festival and hearing all the noise was making her anxious.

"A-ah, I hope they'll still have a lot of food there," Hanayo couldn't help but mumble to herself, glancing behind her.

"Hanayo!"

She quickly turned back. Maki came running over, flushed. "S-sorry about that, were you waiting long?"

"I'm... I'm okay," Hanayo said, her voice quiet as she looked over Maki's yukata appreciatively. The dark red was a good color on Maki, especially with the flower patterns on one of her shoulders. Her hair, instead of the usual rough ponytail or hair down as Hanayo had been used to, was now in an elegant bun. Hanayo wasn't even sure if she could spot any loose hairs. Maki looked sophisticated and graceful like this. "Maki-chan, y-you look really pretty!" Hanayo chirped, smiling widely. In comparison though, Hanayo felt like she was too plain. Maybe... maybe she should have done something with her hair?

"Ah?" Maki said at that moment as she looked down at herself, scratching her cheek in embarrassment. "T-thanks." Her face was red as she looked back up at Hanayo shyly. "Y-you, u-um, look... r-really nice too. Y-yeah."

Hanayo blushed, looking down at the ground. "A-ah, t-thank you," she mumbled out.

The both of them awkwardly stood in place after, unable to look at each other without blushing.

"Maki-chan, Kayo-chin!" Thankfully, Rin came to their rescue, running over to them. "What are you two doing? You don't have time to be awkward before you've even gotten to the festival!"

"R-Rin!" Maki scowled at her. "W-we weren't being awkward! We... we were just about head up."

Hanayo only nodded, not trusting herself to speak right now. Rin only smiled knowingly at them. "Yeah, yeah, let's just hurry up. Nico-chan's waiting for us, nya!" She grabbed both of their hands and began to run up the stairs, dragging the both of them after her.

"R-Rin-chan! Wait, my shoes—ah!"

"Rin! Stop-"

After what felt like _long_ seconds, they were at the top of the stairs, Maki and Hanayo panting and Rin looking none the worse for wear, a hand over her eyes as she scanned in front of them. They still hadn't entered the festival yet, standing at the entrance where all the stalls were starting.

"Hanayo-chan, Maki-chan, Rin-chan!"

All three of them turned at the shout. Honoka was off to the side, jumping excitedly in the air as she waved at them. Next to her, Kotori smiled indulgently and for once, Umi was letting the antics of her overly excited friend go unnoticed, giving them her tiny own wave.

Pushing slightly through the crowd, they made their way to their older friends.

"Wow, you guys look so cute!" Honoka said the moment they got there, flitting all around them and admiring their outfits. Kotori chorused along with her, nodding appreciatively as well.

"I thought Honoka was supposed to help out with the fireworks," Maki said, trying not to flush when Honoka suddenly focused in on her.

"Your dogs aren't here too?" Rin also piped up, sounding disappointed as she glanced all over for them.

"They're with Yukiho right now! I have to leave soon but first..." Honoka pointed to the festival with a fire in her eyes, "I've gotta eat as much as I can first!"

"Honoka!" Even with Umi's scolding tone, it did nothing to stop Honoka from shouting about all the food she was excited to try.

"She's always so fired up about something," Maki said with a sigh as she looked over at Hanayo.

"Honoka-chan might take all the food. I'll have to be fast too!" Hanayo muttered to herself as she pumped her fists. Rin grinned, taking Hanayo's hand.

"Kayo-chin, let's go!"

Finally on the same track, Hanayo and Rin ran off, quickly joined by Honoka. Umi immediately took off after them, shouting.

Maki and Kotori looked at each other, sharing an exasperated smile before scrambling to catch up to the rest of their friends.

With the bustle of the crowd and Honoka running all over the place, Kotori and Umi struggling to catch up to her (though from Maki couldn't help but think she was trying to escape from Umi), it was soon down to Hanayo and Maki. Rin had wandered off to... wherever she was gone. Maki was sure if Rin wanted to come back, she would, but as it was now, she wanted to enjoy the alone time she had with Hanayo. Although...

"H-Hanayo... don't you think... you've had enough?" Maki had to ask as she watched Hanayo continuing to wolf everything down. "I'm pretty sure we've walked through the food stalls like... twice already."

Hanayo quickly swallowed the food in her mouth before she answered. "But it's just so good!" She took one of the various trays she was balancing and held up a stick out for Maki. "Ah, this one was my favorite takoyaki! You should try it!"

Maki stared at it, hesitating. Hanayo frowned slightly. "O-oh, do you not like takoyaki? Ah! I was only going to all my favorite food stalls! I didn't ask if you wanted to stop at any places!"

"T-that's not it! I... u-um!" Before embarrassment rendered her frozen, Maki quickly bent down slightly and took the takoyaki from the stick with her mouth.

"That must be nice."

Maki froze, turning to look to the side. Despite her words, Nico stood next to them with a disgusted look on her face, scowling. None the wiser, Hanayo turned to Nico with a bright smile.

"Nico-chan, hello! Do you want one too?"

"I'm... okay," Nico only said, still giving Maki a flat look. Maki hastily stood back up and covered her mouth to quickly chew the rest of her food, wanting nothing than to snap out a retort at Nico right now despite her embarrassment at being caught.

"Kayo-chin! Maki-chan! Look who I found!" Rin shouted, running over to them. "Oh, you already found her." She leaped onto Nico's back instead, grinning at all of them.

Nico scowled, pushing Rin's face back. "Rin, I swear if you don't let go right now, I'm going to flip you over-"

"Nico-chan looks so pretty, doesn't she?!" Rin quickly said instead, already standing next to her best friend. Hanayo quickly nodded, complimenting Nico as well and gushing over her, especially the way her hair was currently down and made her look older than she seemed. Grudgingly, Maki nodded in agreement, giving Nico a cursory look first as she was still chewing her food.

"Hmph, I guess you all look cute too," Nico finally said, standing up straighter and patting her chest. "Not as much as me, but you know..." She trailed off suddenly with her eyes wide, as if remembering something. "Wait, I have to get some food for my siblings!" She shot a warning look over to Maki before running off into the crowd.

"A-ah!" Rin slid out from Hanayo's side. "Nico-chan! You said you'd buy me some food if I won that toy for you! Nico-chan!" She took off after the older girl. Rin's shouting got further and further away as she chased after Nico. Within seconds, Hanayo and Maki could barely see her thanks to the commotion of the crowd, much less pick out which direction they were in now.

"... let's just keep going then?" Maki could only suggest with a helpless shrug. Hanayo nodded, wondering if they'd run into them again before the festival ended.

With just the two of them once more and Hanayo no longer in a rush to grab all the food, they took their time, enjoying the rest of the festival. Hanayo had eaten most of the food she wanted to already, rubbing her stomach in contentment and giggling to herself, lost in absolute post-food rapture. She didn't notice the way Maki was watching her out of the corner of her eye, a soft smile on her face.

"Maki-chan, you should smile like that some more."

"G-gah!" Maki spun around to her side. Nozomi quickly darted to the front of them, grinning.

"Nozomi-chan!" Hanayo greeted. Nozomi laughed, shooting Maki a secretive look before she threw an arm around Hanayo.

"The fireworks are going to be starting soon, you should find a nice place to watch them," Nozomi said with a knowing smile. "I'm sure it'll be nice to set the mood, no?"

"Nozomi, what are you even telling them!?" From behind them came Eli, exasperation all over her face as she shook her head. "Honestly, now. I just looked away for a moment and you were skipping down here!" She reached out, tugging on Nozomi's arm. "C'mon, let's go now."

"Oh no, Elichi's dragging me away to a private place! Who knows what we'll do, I'm so scared—"

"D-don't say such misleading things!"

"Maybe if you didn't do questionable things in the first place, I'd have less of a chance to say them!"

"N-Nozomi! We're only meeting up with your family!"

Hanayo and Maki watched them walk off, awkwardly shuffling their feet as they listened to their argument. Well, it wasn't really an argument and more like Nozomi often provoking for a reaction from Eli, Hanayo couldn't help but think. She nervously turned to Maki. "U-um, should we go join the others as well?" She turned back to where the fireworks were going to be shot, taking a step forward.

A hand on her arm stopped her. Hanayo slowly turned around.

Maki's face was red and she looked completely confused as to why her hand was suddenly on Hanayo. She opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again, stammering. "T-t-there's... u-um, I-I know a place we can go and it'll... it'll be more quiet than this, b-but it's also a little far away..." she swallowed, glancing away for a moment before meeting Hanayo's eyes again. "Do... do you want to go?"

Hanayo felt like her heart was ready to burst out of her but she nodded. "O-okay," she said as well, to make sure. Maki nodded back at her and trailed her hand down Hanayo's arm before stopping right at her wrist.

"A-ah, um... can... d-do you mind if... I, u-um..."

Feeling emboldened for some reason, Hanayo slipped her hand up, gripping Maki's hand in a loose grip. She smiled what she hoped was reassuringly before nodding. "U-um, is that... good?"

Maki stared at their hands, frozen. Another moment passed before she responded, her hand returning Hanayo's hold. "Yeah, let's go," she said softly.

Hanayo followed after Maki, who led them past the festival. They continued walking, the path starting to become uphill. "Sorry, it'll be a bit of a walk, but I swear it'll be worth it," Maki apologized.

"It's okay," Hanayo said, giving Maki's hand a little squeeze for reassurance as well. Maki still looked over at her, smiling apologetically before focusing ahead on the path. Hanayo enjoyed in the comfortable quietness they had right now, reveling in the way Maki's hand felt against her own.

It still felt strange a little, when she thought about how far they had come. They had watched the fireworks last year as well, but that was with Rin and Nico. And now, this year, it was only between the two of them, and they were going to a private spot away from everyone.

Hanayo felt her heartbeat quicken at the thought of the two of them being alone, away from any sort of interruptions, to watch the fireworks. She hoped her hand didn't feel clammy and cold right now. She felt anything but though, just the complete opposite, lightly touching her heated face with her free hand. Everything inside of her felt like it was fluttering and if it wasn't for Maki's hand holding her down, she felt like she was going to fly away.

With all of the feelings bubbling inside of her, Hanayo could only smile and let Maki take her away.

"We're here," Maki finally announced after some time. "If we weren't dressed up, it would have taken us almost no time getting up here." The place Maki had taken them to was a small hill, and now she was leading them over to a single tree that towered over everything on the field. They sat down on one of the large roots, making themselves comfortable. Once they were, Maki used her other hand to point outward. Hanayo followed to where she pointed.

"Ah!" Her eyes widened. In front of them was the village and the festival. She thought it seemed so bright down there but from far away, now she could _really_ see how bright everything was. "It... the festival looks so tiny from up here but it's still so bright..."

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Maki said, awe mixing in with her normal tone.

"It is," Hanayo agreed in an equally reverent tone.

"And we haven't even seen the fireworks yet. With all the time we took climbing up here, they should be..."

As if on cue, a firework shot into the sky, lighting it up. Maki and Hanayo both gasped, keeping their eyes peeled open as even more fireworks began to illuminate the sky. The fireworks were absolutely stunning this year, as they always were. The sky was brightly lit with myriads of various colors and shapes, all even more astonishing than the last. Hanayo could definitely see Honoka and Yukiho's pride and work into them.

"Honoka really went all out again," Maki said with a quiet laugh. Despite her words, she was staring at the fireworks, completely entranced. Hanayo agreed with a quiet mumble. She shot a glance over at Maki to make another comment.

Maki's attention was completely on the fireworks still, emotions bared for all to see, excitement and joy rolling off of her. It was the most honest expression Hanayo had ever seen on her.

Was this... was this what Nozomi meant?

"Maki-chan."

At the sound of her name, Maki turned her head away from the fireworks to look down at Hanayo, confused. Hanayo reached out, brushing away the stray strands of hair from Maki's face. "H-Hanayo?" Maki's voice was wavering and she was... apprehensive. Hanayo could feel how tense she was, from how close they were sitting. Hanayo still didn't say anything, letting her fingertips ghost over Maki's cheek before hesitantly cupping it.

As the fireworks exploded in front of them, she closed her eyes and leaned up to press her lips to Maki's.

It felt... it... it was...

Hanayo pulled back, slowly opening her eyes. She brought her other hand to her face, gingerly touching her lips. It... it was... awkward, if Hanayo wanted to be honest. Her cheeks were red and now that it had hit her what she had done, she wanted to hide. She was sure even her ears were red too, with how warm everything felt. But...

Hanayo looked back up at her companion. Maki was still frozen, eyes completely wide. Her eyes were on Hanayo but Hanayo felt like Maki was... seeing right through her instead. "M-Maki-chan?" she carefully called out. Maki remained still, not even blinking. Hanayo moved her hand, gently brushing away Maki's bangs.

Then, Maki became _livid._ She inhaled sharply as a dark blush spread across her whole face. She grabbed Hanayo's hand, bringing it away from her face as she stared down at it with her eyes completely wide.

"H-h-h-h-how could y-y-you j-just do that?!" Maki stammered out. Hanayo could barely understand anything she was saying, staring in bewilderment. "Y-you just! You!"

"Maki-chan?"

"If-if-if I had k-k-known, then maybe I'd actually try to d-d-do something instead of j-j-just sitting still like s-some k-kind of idiot-"

"Maki-chan-"

"-a-and n-now oh my god y-you probably think I-I-I'm r-really b-bad at this w-whole thing and y-y-you'll n-never want t-t-to-"

"... Maki-chan!" Hanayo shot her hands out and grabbed Maki, shaking her roughly. "C-calm down!"

Maki froze at those words, staring upward at the sky. It took her another moment to answer. "I'm... I'm calm now," she said slowly, bringing her eyes down. Hanayo watched them catch her own eyes before trailing downward, focusing on her lips-

"Gah!" Maki cried out, hiding her face in her hands.

"... Maki-chan?" Hanayo withdrew her hands, bringing them to her lap to nervously play with them. "Did... d-did you not like that? I... I'm sorry."

Maki whipped her hands away from her face, staring at her incredulously. "Huh?! What are you talking about?! I... I! I..." She coughed into her hand, scratching her cheek om embarrassment. "I... didn't mind, y-you just... caught me off guard. I-I don't mind if you do it again..."

Hanayo snapped upright, staring at Maki with wide eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but another thought came to her then.

"Oh... does this count as surprising you?" Hanayo asked, unable to stop the slight giggle.

Maki pouted at her, grumbling under her breath before deciding to close the distance herself.

 **-5-**

"Should... we be getting back?"

"... mm."

Despite their words, neither of them moved, still too comfortable to even want to. The night sky had long gone dark and there was nothing but the stars to fill the sight now. From where they were though, it was still a beautiful view. Maki had been pointing out the stars they had known and explaining their stories to her but now she had quieted down, enjoying the quiet ambient mood offered by the night sky and the warmth of their bodies from being pressed up next to each other.

Maki shifted slightly and Hanayo felt every motion under her head from where she rested it against Maki's shoulder. "Hanayo?"

"Yes?"

There was a pause, as if Maki was contemplating what to say. Her arm, wrapped around Hanayo's waist, moved slightly, fingers rubbing in the fabric of her yukata. The constant motions against her body were soothing and Hanayo wanted to close her eyes and nod off.

"Hanayo," Maki said again, righting herself. With how much Hanayo leaned against her, Hanayo ended up righting herself as well. "I... I think I'm still going to be a ninja."

Hanayo snapped awake at her words. "H-huh?"

"I... I'm still going to be a ninja," Maki repeated again. "Otherwise, it'd feel like all that training I spent my whole life doing would go to waste if I didn't." She shook her head, smiling wryly.

Hanayo stared at her, eyes wide. "Huh?! But what about... what about being a doctor?"

"I'll... I'll do that too. I didn't say I was going to stop studying medicine. I'm going to do both." Her lips quirked upward. "With the missions Nico gives me, I can travel out to even more places. I'll be able to learn more things that we might not know in our village, and maybe I can... I can also help out people who might not know about proper medical care."

"That's... that's amazing, Maki-chan!"

"You... you don't think I'm being too ambitious?"

"Huh?" Hanayo blinked at her. "Is it?"

"I..." Maki glanced away, her hand rising up to her face. When she realized there wasn't enough hair for her to twirl, she let out a small growl. "I-I mean, that's... that's my intent anyway. Whether or not I'll be able to actually do it though..."

"I think you can do it. I mean, I always thought you were someone who could do anything if you really put your mind to it."

"... thanks for believing in me," Maki said, but Hanayo couldn't help but feel as if she sounded sarcastic.

"I mean it!" Hanayo insisted, eyes serious. "It might be hard at first, but I think if anyone could do it, it'd be you! I mean... you're just so amazing already. And... well... you're already a great ninja. You can totally pick up something else. A-and... I'll help you out too! I'll ask Nico-chan to give me some missions instead of giving them to you so you can study!"

Maki said nothing, regarding her silently. After several more moments of silence, Hanayo began to nervously fidget, wondering if she had said something wrong. Maybe... maybe by offering her help, she had offended some sense of Maki's pride? She knew Maki was proud and maybe she wanted to do everything by herself, and Hanayo had overstepped something by offering her help in Maki's personal journey.

She didn't expect Maki to let out a quiet laugh, taking Hanayo's other hand. She pulled her closer and pressed her lips to the back of Hanayo's hand. "Hanayo, you're... you're seriously too good for me. Thanks."

Maki looked up, eyes trained entirely on Hanayo as she smiled softly. She pressed another kiss down before she threaded their fingers together.

"I'm planning on taking a trip, maybe next year or something. I want to go out and see more of the world, see how it is before I come back and take over as family heir," she quietly admitted. Hanayo stilled.

"You're... you're leaving?" she could only ask. Maki let out a soft sigh, rubbing Hanayo's hand in what she hoped was a soothing manner.

"I... yeah. I'm still not sure how long, but it's... it's been something I've been thinking about."

"Oh..." Hanayo looked away, unsure of how to feel. She wanted to be excited for Maki going out to leave the village, to explore her options. On the other hand, Hanayo couldn't help but think about how lonely it would be, when Maki traveled alone by herself, and also for Hanayo back in the village, constantly worrying about whether or not Maki was safe. And what would Hanayo be doing in the meanwhile?

"And... I was thinking," Maki started before Hanayo could continue that thought. "Um, you... if you want, you can, um, come too. S-since you're still unsure about what to do, m-maybe going out and traveling will help you... er, figure out something. Just... just saying," she finished in a murmur. Under her hand, Hanayo could feel Maki's cheeks heating up.

"Maki-chan, I... you..." Hanayo tried to sort through her thoughts. What Maki was suggesting right now sounded so outrageous to her, but...

"If... if you don't mind, then... I would be more than happy to accompany you," Hanayo finally said.

"... yeah?" Maki moved her head down so they could properly look at each other. Hanayo could tell she was trying to fight a smile from cracking across her face. "R-really?"

Knowing that Maki was pleased at her agreement made her feel giddy as well but she still couldn't help the slight nervousness as she spoke. "I-I mean, I'd like to, but it's still... kind of far off. I wouldn't mind though! It... it sounds so interesting and I wouldn't mind wanting to see more of what's outside our village. I... I might not quite be the best ninja or fit for the Koizumi, but there's... there's still so much more. I... I just have to figure that out for myself too," she finished, nodding with resolve. "I-I can't just sit around and not do anything about it."

"That's still good enough for me," Maki still replied cheerfully, leaning her head against Hanayo's. "While we travel, we can just be Maki and Hanayo, nothing to do with our families, don't you think so?"

"I... I guess, yeah." Though Hanayo was sure they still had more to talk about, Maki didn't speak after, only continuing to hold Hanayo close. For an indulgent moment, Hanayo let her eyes close, breathing in Maki so close to her, the smell of grass and wood around them, letting the peacefulness of everything wash over her.

"It's getting pretty late though, we should be heading back now." Maki's voice, quiet as it was, still broke through Hanayo's thoughts. She felt Maki shifting, trying to pull her arm back without disturbing her. Hanayo reached out though, stopping the other girl from leaving.

"Maki-chan... before we leave, could you do me a favor?"

Maki looked down at her. "Hm? What is it?"

"Can... can you sing something right now?" Hanayo asked, voice quiet. "I… b-before this night ends, I want to hear you sing."

Maki slowly sat back down, nodding. "Yeah, of course, I can do that." Maki pulled her close once more, humming before letting out a soft murmur, singing a quiet lullaby now.

Hanayo thought about everything that had happened so far. She wondered what her young self would say if she saw them right now. She certainly would have never imagined that she'd be this close with one of her self-proclaimed rivals, someone from the Nishikino clan. As she listened to Maki's song, she thought about how close she had been to losing the chance to listen to this wonderful voice. The way that their odd rivalry, although one-sided, had exploded and led to all of this happening... never in her wildest dreams would she even think that it would turn out like this. Life worked in strange ways, she couldn't help but think.

While life hadn't quite made her out to be the legendary ninja she hoped she would become when she was young, she was beginning to think it was okay. When she remembered what her mother had told her, slowly but surely, she felt like there was still something else she could do. It would be a long time before the guilt that she had disappointed her clan and ancestors would come to pass, but maybe, surely, one day, there would also come a time where Hanayo would be proud to tell others that she was a part of the Koizumi.

In this moment though, all she simply wanted to do was to enjoy this beautiful song and hope she would continue to hear it for years to come.

* * *

 **A/N** : and done, I hoped you enjoyed and thank you for reading.


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